Article form the Denton Record-Chronicles:


Mean Green to Play Georgia
By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

North Texas is set for a big payday for playing national powerhouse Georgia in 2013.

The Mean Green will receive a whopping $975,000 to play at Sanford Stadium on Aug. 31 to open the season, according to UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal.

The payout is the largest Georgia has ever agreed to pay to a nonconference opponent, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Louisiana-Lafayette, another Sun Belt team, will receive $875,000 for playing the Bulldogs in 2010.

“It’s an opportunity to play one of the premier teams in the country on a national stage,” Villarreal said. “We try play one game like that a year.”

UNT traveled to LSU last season and will play at Alabama this fall.

The Mean Green has been able to get more for those games over the last several seasons.

UNT was scheduled to receive $450,000 for playing at Miami in 2008, but backed out of that deal to travel to LSU for $700,000. UNT paid a $150,000 fee for voiding its contract with the Hurricanes but still came out ahead.

While nonconference games against major-conference opponents help pad UNT’s bottom line, school officials maintain that they also offer the Mean Green an opportunity to measure itself against some of the best teams in the country.

“I have worked for programs that cut their teeth by going to places and beating teams in games like this one,” Villarreal said. “TCU beat Oklahoma while I was there. At Southern Miss, we beat Auburn and Alabama. You want to build your program that way. Look at what Boise State has done.”

The Broncos have developed into a national power, thanks in part to a few big nonconference wins, including a shocking 43-42 win over Oklahoma in the 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

Georgia finished 10-3 last season, beat Michigan State 24-12 in the Capital One Bowl and was ranked No. 13 in the final Associated Press top 25 poll.

A few Sun Belt teams have been able to compete in games against major conference teams the last several seasons. Troy, which won the Sun Belt last season, led at LSU 31-3 before the Tigers rallied for a 40-31 win.

Louisiana-Monroe beat Alabama on the road, 21-14, in 2007.

UNT, which finished 1-11 last season, is hoping to develop enough to be capable of a similar landmark performance by the time it faces Georgia.

LSU hammered UNT 41-3 last season in another guarantee game. UNT also lost to major conference opponents Oklahoma (79-10) and Arkansas (66-7) in 2007.

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“It’s an opportunity to play one of the premier teams in the country on a national stage,” Villarreal said. “We try play one game like that a year.”

UNT traveled to LSU last season and will play at Alabama this fall.

The Mean Green has been able to get more for those games over the last several seasons.

UNT was scheduled to receive $450,000 for playing at Miami in 2008, but backed out of that deal to travel to LSU for $700,000. UNT paid a $150,000 fee for voiding its contract with the Hurricanes but still came out ahead.


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Just noticed that Bytor had already posted this!