Here’s how much money South Carolina is paying SC State for football game
A week after receiving a hefty financial guarantee for playing in a game, South Carolina will be doling out a hefty check.
For selling out its allotment of more than 25,000 tickets to Sunday’s Aflac Kickoff Game against Virginia Tech in Atlanta, South Carolina football earned more than $4.3 million from the folks at the Peach Bowl.
And now, the Gamecocks will be handing out a guarantee of their own.
South Carolina will pay S.C. State $500,000 to travel from Orangeburg to Columbia and suit up for Saturday’s game against USC at Williams-Brice Stadium.
It is the first of two “buy games” for South Carolina this season. In November, the Gamecocks will pay Coastal Carolina $1.4 million to come play in Columbia. It’s also the first of two games S.C. State will play against an FBS opponent. The Bulldogs will play against the University of South Florida (USF) on Sept. 20.
In its season-opener, S.C. State scored a touchdown in the final two minutes to earn a 16-15 home victory against Wofford.
Saturday will be the fourth meeting between the Gamecocks and Bulldogs and the first since 2022, when South Carolina notched a 50-10 victory. Along with the $500,000 check, here are other details inside the game contract, which was signed in early 2024.
- South Carolina will give S.C. State 1,000 tickets to sell, and the Bulldogs can keep the profits of those ticket sales. S.C. State can request more tickets.
- S.C. State will be allowed 60 sideline passes to be used by coaches, trainers and other working personnel.
- The game will be officiated by SEC referees.
This story was originally published September 3, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
