Fresno State schedules historic game vs. Southern and solves a problem in the process
Fresno State again has upgraded its future home football schedule, but not with a Power Five conference opponent.
The Bulldogs will instead play Southern University in the program’s first matchup against a Historically Black College and University, and the Jaguars will be accompanied to Fresno for that 2025 game by their marching band known as the Human Jukebox, which is recognized as one of the best in the country and definitely is one of the most famous.
The marching band along with the Fabulous Dancing Dolls has performed at five Super Bowls, the Rose Parade and presidential inaugurations of Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and this year (virtually) Joe Biden.
Southern in 2017 signed a $1 million partnership with Raising Cane’s, the popular chicken fingers fast food chain that is coming to Fresno, making it the official chicken of the Human Jukebox.
The Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles even offers drivers in the state specialty Human Jukebox license plates. (Southern is in Baton Rouge.)
“Southern University has a rich history of excellence, not only on the football field, but in their full contribution to the academic community,” Fresno State athletics director Terry Tumey said in a press release.
“There are unique synergies between our two institutions in what we do for the communities we serve. We are honored to welcome the Jaguars and their world famous Human Jukebox to Fresno in 2025 and we truly think our valley will enjoy the special experience.”
But for Fresno State there are benefits beyond the football game, which is scheduled for Sept. 13, 2025.
It will pay Southern a $550,000 guarantee, according to athletics department sources familiar with the game contract, which is more than its usual payout for a FCS opponent.
The Bulldogs this season will pay Cal Poly $390,000 for a Sept. 11 game, and in the past has paid Abilene Christian $350,000, Incarnate Word $375,000 and was going to pay Idaho State $350,000 last season before the game was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Bulldogs got deal in game contract
But Southern adds upside at the ticket office that other FCS programs including locals Sacramento State and Cal Poly likely lack, and the big bonus in the deal is the athletics department was able to arrange the contract so that those payments will be made over two years that it will be flush with guarantee money.
It will pay Southern half of that guarantee in 2023 when it is playing road games at Purdue for $1.3 million and at Arizona State for $1.1 million, and the other half of that guarantee in 2024 when playing at Michigan for $1.85 million and at UCLA for $1.2 million.
In 2025, when the game is played, Fresno State makes no payment to Southern and will basically have a free home game in a year the guarantee money coming in from road games will not be as high.
The Bulldogs that season play at Kansas in the first game of a 2 for 1 series and will receive $750,000, and they play at Oregon State as part of a home and home series in which the home team has agreed to pay the visitor $250,000.
They also start a home and home series with Georgia Southern with no payout, so the athletics department still will bank $1 million in football game guarantees, a solid piece to its overall revenues.
Fresno State will end up netting more than $1.8 million in revenue from football game guarantees in 2023 and more than $1.7 million in 2024, the years it will be makings guarantee payments to Southern.
This story was originally published July 13, 2021 at 1:48 PM.