re: How financially screwed are FCS and FBS schools?

According to that AP story AP, 39 Power 5 schools scheduled 49 “buy games” for the 2020 season for a total of $65 million. UMass is scheduled to receive $1.9 million to play Auburn, which means if that game is canceled — when that game is canceled — UMass will be out nearly 20% of its $10 million budget for football. Who’s going to pay for that loss? Perhaps the UMass track and field teams, next spring. We’ll see.

There are 114 FCS-FBC matchups this season, including many involving Group of Five schools. The payouts to FCS schools from FBS range from $200,000 to $750,000.

Arkansas State is getting $1.8 million to play at Michigan on Sept. 19. That’s easy for Michigan to cover when it’s playing in front of 110,000 fans. But what about if it’s just friends and family in the Big House?

Arkansas State athletic director Terry Mohajir said his budget would take a hit if the Red Wolves of the Sun Belt can’t play at Michigan.

“But I would think that as much as it hurts us, it’s going to hurt them, too,” Mohajir said. “I would imagine they make $15 to $17 million per home game. Our game against them is not as important to winning the Big Ten. But our game from a revenue standpoint is as important if they play Purdue.”

The small and medium schools are a house of cards and deserve to fail. There is no way to justify the athletic budget at a ULM or ULL.

Athletic budgets should be self-sustaining and should receive ZERO state money.

I hope many of them collapse, in a splendid ball of fire.