A major money game payout will not be coming for an HBCU football team.
Georgia announced it has canceled their previously scheduled 2028 matchup with Florida A&M, according to a report from the Athens Banner-Herald.
The game, originally set for Sept. 9, 2028, at Sanford Stadium, had been on the books since 2020 and was expected to be a major non-conference payday for FAMU.
That payout won’t be coming.
The move is believed to have been driven by the SEC nine-game conference mandate that is set to begin this season.
The original agreement included a $650,000 guarantee for Florida A&M, along with a matching cancellation fee if Georgia backed out without mutual consent. However, that clause won’t come into play here. Both programs agreed to walk away from the deal, meaning no penalty will be paid.
The schools agreed to terminate the contract and that there would be no “payment requirements,” for the cancellation, the newspaper reported.
The decision came to light after the Banner-Herald obtained a Jan. 13 letter between the two schools through an open records request, confirming the mutual termination.
From Georgia’s perspective, the move opens up some flexibility. The Bulldogs now have a gap in their 2028 non-conference schedule, though two high-profile matchups are already lined up. Georgia is set to host in-state rival Georgia Tech on Nov. 25 and is expected to face Florida State at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, with that date still to be finalized.
For Florida A&M, the impact is a bit more significant.
As it stands, Georgia was the only known non-conference opponent on the Rattlers’ 2028 schedule, leaving a noticeable hole to fill—not just competitively, but financially.
Games like this often serve as key revenue opportunities for HBCU programs.
