Here’s how much South Carolina is paying Akron for 2024 football game

For the third time this season, the Akron football team will be receiving a massive check to play a non-conference football game.

The Zips (1-2) visit South Carolina on Saturday night, a 580-mile journey that they will be greatly compensated for. But that comes after Akron opened the season with a 52-6 loss at Ohio State and a 49-17 defeat at Rutgers.

The Zips were paid $600,000 to play the No. 2-ranked Buckeyes and then $1 million to face off against Rutgers. Their biggest pay day will come this weekend in Columbia.

As part of Akron coming to play at Williams-Brice Stadium this Saturday (7:30 p.m., ESPNU), South Carolina will pay the Zips $1.5 million — the same-sized check it wrote to Old Dominion for the season opener.

“The department gets to pay some bills,” Akron coach Joe Moorhead said of the compensation. “The equestrian team gets some new saddles. Everybody wins. We are going to be fired up to go down there. It is going to be a challenging environment.”

Akron competes in the Mid-American Conference. Per the contract with the SEC Gamecocks, South Carolina must pay Akron the $1.5 million by Jan. 31, 2025.

Other notes about the contract:

• South Carolina has to provide Akron with 600 complimentary tickets and the Zips can keep any proceeds if they sell those tickets.

• Akron is allowed to request additional tickets that it can sell at a price determined by USC. If they chose to do that, the Zips had to return all unsold tickets to USC four weeks before the game — or the value of all unsold tickets would be deducted from the $1.5 million compensation.

• Akron is allowed 60 sideline passes for coaches, trainers and other workers.

• Akron is allowed to bring its cheerleaders and mascot.

• Officials for the game will be assigned by the SEC

• Unlike for the Old Dominion game, Akron’s athletic director was not provided with a stadium suite.