It’s that time of the year again. Money Games are always a big part of the college football season, as they allow big-time schools to tune up against overmatched opponents while small programs get broken off with a nice check for their troubles.
These games are nothing new. Last year we wrote about the downside to such games, and while former FAMU coach Billy Joe made his case against them.
Here are a couple of money game’s we’ll be paying attention to this weekend.
South Carolina State at #23 Clemson
Last week, SC State played the bully role, smashing D2 rival Benedict College 63-0. This week, SCSU will be hoping not to get the score reversed on it when it goes up against in-state FBS power Clemson. Clemson beat SCSU 52-13 in last season’s meeting at The Rock. With the Tigers coming off an embarrassing 45-21 opening week loss to Georgia, so they will definitely have a chip on their shoulder.
FAMU at Miami
50 years ago, this would have been an interesting game. Most of Miami’s squad would have likely gone to FAMU, as segregation helped turn the Rattlers into a black college power in football-rich Florida. Even 35 years ago, the Rattlers had enough talent to beat the Hurricanes. Those days, however, are long gone and it hasn’t even been close for decades. Like Clemson, Miami is coming off an opening week loss and will likely take out their frustrations on their fellow brightly-colored in-state brethren. It’s unlikely that this loss will get anywhere close to the 76-0 loss against Ohio State last year, but it should still be ugly.
Savananah State at Georgia Southern
Georgia Southern may be new to this FBS thing, but that doesn’t mean Savannah State isn’t in for a rough game. GSU has beaten SSU all 10 times the teams have met, including last year’s 77-9 route.
Alcorn State at Southern Mississippi
This could possibly be the closest of any game on this list, but that’s not saying much. Alcorn didn’t look that impressive in its win over VUL last week, but it does have some talent, especially with quarterback John Gibbs,Jr. It’ll be interesting to see how long the Braves can keep up.
Howard at Rutgers
Howard will take the field on Saturday after taking a pounding from Akron last week. Chances for things getting better this week are slim as Rutgers comes in more highly regarded than HU’s previous opponent. These two teams have met three times before, with Rutgers outscoring Howard 127-14. Rutgers is 10-0 against the MEAC and it doesn’t look like this week will tarnish their record.
Cut The Check: $1,000,000 over three games. (View the contract here)
Grambling State at Houston
Houston is one of the worst FBS teams around and the same can be said for Grambling at the FCS level. This one shouldn’t be close.