The Clemson football program got the game it needed to add strength to its 2021 schedule, but it certainly came at a hefty price.
The Clemson football program officially announced earlier this week that it would be replacing its 2021 match-up with Wyoming and, instead, playing the Georgia Bulldogs.
The game, which is slated to kickoff the 2021 season, will be played in Bank of America Stadium and is the first of six scheduled non-conference tilts between the Tigers and Bulldogs- the two programs are slated to play a neutral site game in Atlanta (2024) and home-and-home series (2029-30, 2032-33).
Though both Clemson football and Georgia needed the game to bolster their schedules and create some excitement in the non-conference, both athletic programs will pay a pretty penny to do so.
It was announced earlier that Georgia will pay San Jose State a $1.8 million buyout to remove them from the schedule.
Scott Keepfer of the Greenville News reported that Clemson will pay Wyoming a $1.1 million buyout. The Cowboys are currently looking for an opponent to add to their 2021 schedule.
Though the buyout certainly is a lot of money, this match-up will be worth it in terms of the revenue generated through program ticket sales and through the amount of coverage and spotlight that the game will receive.
Clemson football fans are obviously already looking forward to the opportunity of seeing the Tigers and Bulldogs play in a venue of the caliber of Bank of America Stadium and there’s no doubting that the two fanbases will pack out the stadium and that ticket prices will be through the roof for the game.
It should be a fun atmosphere when the time does come in a little less than 18 months from now.
Rubbing the Rock is a Clemson-centric website covering all things orange & purple as part of the FanSided network.