11/05 at 01:46 AM

These perceived “free wins,” like the one that’s coming Saturday against Furman, don’t come cheap.

(Rest assured, the revenue brought in for those games more than triples or quadruples it. But that’s another discussion.)

Auburn has paid more than $2 million to the four non-conference opponents it’s hosted thus far this season. The big winner was Ball State, which raked in $800,000, followed closely by Louisiana Tech at $750,000.

Furman is receiving just $375,000 of that — right around the going rate, Furman athletic director Dr. Gary Clark said in a phone interview Tuesday.

There are basic economics at play for why that is.

Weaker FBS teams are in much higher demand because a win against them is considered a regular old FBS win and goes toward the required six necessary to qualify for a postseason bowl game — just like an SEC win does. FBS teams are allowed to count only one win against an FCS opponent toward that total, however, so there are only a certain amount of slots available for FCS teams to sell themselves into.

Regardless, the payout still goes a long, long way for schools like Furman, which has had just a little more than half the amount of fans it takes to fill Jordan-Hare Stadium attend its four home games this season.

“It’s significant,” Clark said. “No question about it.”

The games usually aren’t glamorous. They’re not supposed to be.

It’s all about survival.

“Every FCS school has to play one of these just to keep their budget afloat,” Furman coach Bobby Lamb said. “It’s not just a big game for Furman football but for Furman athletics.”

Because Furman is a small, private university, the guarantee received from today’s game will go straight into the school’s general fund, Clark said. That’s unlike most Division 1-A — err, FBS —- schools like Auburn, where money made from athletics goes back into athletics.

Because that money goes into a general fund, the payouts Furman has received once a year over the last 10 years — with the exception of 2005, where it didn’t play an FBS opponent — has gone anywhere from paying janitors to sprucing up The Bell Tower, a major landmark on Furman’s 40-acre campus.

“We really don’t earmark it for any particular thing,” Clark said.

Sometimes, though, it does serve a direct purpose. Some of this year’s paycheck went toward new video equipment for the football team.

“It’s probably the biggest piece we’ve done in the last 6 games as a direct result,” Clark said.

This year, though, one big payday wasn’t enough for Furman, which scheduled a game with Missouri somewhat at the last moment. It backed out of a game with fellow FCS foe Delaware to play the Tigers, who had SMU back out of their schedule at the last moment.

That last-minute switch was worth $450,000, according to The Missourian. Because it is a private university, Furman does not disclose specifics regarding finances.

The Paladins haven’t played two of these games in one season since 1982, Lamb said. If it were strictly up to him, they wouldn’t double dip again for another 27 years.

“It’s going to be very tough when we finish this Auburn game,” Lamb said. “Two in one year is pretty difficult, especially when you’re looking at an 11-game schedule. You’re looking at a team with 63 scholarships going against a team with 85 scholarships.

“The bottom line is you’re worn down physically there in the second half.”

All the other pomp and circumstance that comes with it, though, makes it a valuable investment, Clark said.

“Our kids really enjoy the challenge of playing a team that they see in the paper constantly,” Clark said. “These are guys that are athletes and competitors and they enjoy the challenge and really enjoy the appearance. There’s recognition being on the Auburn schedule and where that’s published and having the chance of playing in front of 60+ thousand.”

Crooked box scores aside, Clark said the Paladin fans get up for a game like Saturday’s just like they would against a Southern Conference foe.

“It’s not a situation where our fans just say ‘OK, let’s go take our shellacking and come home,’” Clark said. “They enjoy seeing it and we’ve been competitive.

“Whether we keep it competitive this time, we’ll wait and see.”

Andrew Gribble covers Auburn University sports for the Opelika-Auburn News. He can be reached at or 737-2561.