Georgia Tuesday released a list of its future opponents, along with the guarantees the visiting team will receive.
It's interesting that the lowest guarantee from any upcoming nonconference opponent involves Louisville. The Cardinals will open the 2011 season in Athens, with the Bulldogs returning the trip to Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in 2012.
Louisville will receive $250,000 for playing the 2011 game, which is the same amount it will pay Georgia in 2012. Compare that to opponents such as New Mexico State ($925,000), Louisiana-Lafayette ($875,000), North Texas ($975,000), Idaho State ($525,000) and Coastal Carolina ($475,000), to whom the Bulldogs are shelling out large chunks of money.
The Louisville series was completed a few years ago, right before the guarantees started to really take off. And teams from major conferences are now repeatedly paying opponents from lesser conferences nearly seven figures for a winnable home game, which is making scheduling tough for everybody else.
Louisville won't get a huge windfall from playing at Georgia, but it will provide great exposure and a terrific home-and-home series. And if Charlie Strong gets his program going, perhaps the Cardinals will have a chance to pull off a big win in either 2011 or at home in '12.
It's interesting that the lowest guarantee from any upcoming nonconference opponent involves Louisville. The Cardinals will open the 2011 season in Athens, with the Bulldogs returning the trip to Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in 2012.
Louisville will receive $250,000 for playing the 2011 game, which is the same amount it will pay Georgia in 2012. Compare that to opponents such as New Mexico State ($925,000), Louisiana-Lafayette ($875,000), North Texas ($975,000), Idaho State ($525,000) and Coastal Carolina ($475,000), to whom the Bulldogs are shelling out large chunks of money.
The Louisville series was completed a few years ago, right before the guarantees started to really take off. And teams from major conferences are now repeatedly paying opponents from lesser conferences nearly seven figures for a winnable home game, which is making scheduling tough for everybody else.
Louisville won't get a huge windfall from playing at Georgia, but it will provide great exposure and a terrific home-and-home series. And if Charlie Strong gets his program going, perhaps the Cardinals will have a chance to pull off a big win in either 2011 or at home in '12.
Brian Bennett | email
College Football- ESPN.com Big Ten blogger
- Joined ESPN.com in 2008
- Wrote for The Courier-Journal
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Andrea Adelson
Adelson joined ESPN.com in 2010 after spending time as a college football columnist at The Orlando Sentinel. She has covered college football since her days as a University of Florida student, and lives in Orlando, Fla.
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