SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports college football experts give their picks with the start of the season right around the corner. USA TODAY
College football’s version of the gig economy gets rolling Thursday, as teams across the country begin the annual ritual of playing one-time, non-conference games in exchange for huge payouts.
This season, well over $175 million will change hands just for teams getting on the field for these so-called “guarantee” games, according to an analysis of more than 275 contracts for matchups involving teams in the NCAA’s top-level Bowl Subdivision.
While some of these agreements involve series of games on equal and relatively modest terms, the real money is elsewhere.