Georgia to pay $2 million combined for 2018 games against UMass, Murray State

Georgia will pay a total of $2 million to the two football programs that will visit Sanford Stadium in 2018, according to documents obtained by The Telegraph through open records requests.

Independent FBS school Massachusetts and FCS institution Murray State signed contracts with Georgia to meet in three seasons. Georgia and Massachusetts will play on Nov. 17, 2018, with the Minutemen receiving a $1.5 million pay day as a result.

Georgia and Murray State are set to play earlier that season on Sept. 15, 2018, with the Racers getting $500,000 from the UGA athletic association.

Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity signed the Murray State deal on March 28 and inked the Massachusetts contract on April 12.

Georgia's football game against Massachusetts will mark the first time these teams have ever played each other. The game against Murray State will be the second in program history, with the prior meeting occurring in 1945. Georgia, in former head coach Wally Butts' seventh season, won that season-opening game 49-0.

The Bulldogs and Minutemen are also set to play a home-and-home series in basketball, with a 2017-18 meeting in Amherst, Massachusetts and a 2018-19 game in Athens. This contract contains a $75,000 penalty if either team cancels without the other's consent.

For the 2016-17 basketball season, Georgia and Georgia Tech have agreed to play on Dec. 20. This year's meeting will take place in Atlanta at McCamish Pavilion.

This story was originally published April 22, 2016 at 2:59 PM with the headline "Georgia to pay $2 million combined for 2018 games against UMass, Murray State."