New Mexico’s football team is set to net a massive $1.6 million for its athletic department by playing at No. 24 Oklahoma this Saturday. This isn’t just about a big game for the Lobos; it’s the biggest payout of their year and a crucial lifeline for their department. We’re talking about a signed contract from November 2019 that even stipulated a $250,000 partial payment had to hit UNM’s bank account by April 21, 2021. And get this: Oklahoma tossed in 400 complimentary tickets, plus the chance for UNM to buy more, which they did,800 tickets, all sold out. Talk about making the most of an away game!
The Game’s a Paycheck, But It’s Getting Tougher to Cash
This matchup against Oklahoma is a classic “guarantee game,” a staple for Group of Six (G6) conference programs like UNM. The setup is straightforward, almost brutally so: a smaller conference team hits the road to play a higher-division opponent, gets a guaranteed lump sum, and usually, yeah, they take the loss. But hey, that money keeps the lights on! UNM has already played two of these games this year and actually *won both*, bringing in $200,000 from Central Michigan and $330,000 from FCS program Mercyhurst. Those wins are huge, but the Oklahoma game is on a whole different level financially. The wild part? These high-value guarantee games are becoming an endangered species on the college football schedule.
The Big Conferences are Shutting Everyone Out
Here’s the problem: the pool of available games is shrinking faster than a puddle in the summer sun. Three of the Power Four (P4) conferences,the Big Ten, the Big 12, and the SEC,have all shifted to nine-game conference schedules. That move alone wipes out dozens of opportunities for G6 teams from conferences like the Mountain West or Conference USA to land on a P4 schedule. And it gets worse. The ACC is planning the same nine-game conference schedule starting in 2027. Like the SEC, they are mandating that their members also schedule another P4 opponent in one of their three nonconference slots. That’s one less game a G6 team can fill! Throw in the fact that P4 programs are often prioritizing nonconference rivalry games or even FCS teams over G6 opponents, and you’ve got an inventory crunch. UNM Athletic Director Ryan Berryman summed it up perfectly, saying they’re “continuing to monitor the ongoing schedule changes occurring across college football as College Football Playoff expansion, conference realignment, and changing conference scheduling models loom.”
So, what does that mean for teams like UNM? Their “ideal scheduling model” involves one FCS opponent at home, one guarantee game with a Power Four opponent on the road, and a home-and-home series with a Group of Six opponent. But if those big road payouts vanish, the financial stability of these athletic departments could be in serious trouble. The Lobos are getting their big check this Saturday, but how many more like it will there be? That’s the million-dollar question for every smaller program out there.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply