An opinion attributed to Blake Levine Sports Reporter argues that SWAC schools should seek larger payments for games against higher-profile opponents or decline to participate. The commentary says $720,000 is significant money for programs that need it, but contrasts that figure with payments of $1.5 million to other schools and $1.8 million to Southern Miss for playing Auburn.
The commentary questions whether the difference is because some schools are classified as Football Championship Subdivision programs, saying that distinction does not make sense because the teams are playing the same game. It also criticizes a 77-0 score in the third quarter, saying the outcome was over a paycheck, while acknowledging that the programs need the money.
The opinion concludes that schools should get paid more or find another arrangement.
Jon Ross Myers founded Mississippi News Group in 2013. Before founding the organization, he worked at The Daily Mississippian, The Marion Salute and The Southern Sentinel. A Mississippi journalist and writer based in Ripley, he received second place in poetry in the 2025 William Faulkner Literary Competition for "The Garden."
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