Florida football's stunning loss to USF came with a $500K price tag

Florida football's upset loss to USF was painful enough, but it came with an added sting—a $500,000 payout to the Bulls as part of a scheduling deal struck in 2021, according to records collected by The Gainesville Sun.

The agreement between the Florida Gators and South Florida Bulls was a two-for-one series, giving USF a chance to host an SEC program while securing two games in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

The Gators were paid $250,000 to play at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa in 2021, then paid USF $250,000 for a return trip to Gainesville in 2022.

Saturday's matchup in the Swamp was the final installment of the contract—and the most costly. Florida's athletic department paid the Bulls $500,000 to come to Gainesville, only to watch the Orange and Blue fall 18-16 in one of the program's most stunning defeats in years.

For USF, the deal delivered financial security and national exposure. For Billy Napier and Florida, it became a nightmare scenario: not only losing to a Group of Five opponent at home, but paying them handsomely to do it.

These kinds of two-for-one contracts are common in college football scheduling, particularly for SEC teams looking to add nonconference games without giving up too many home dates. But the outcome at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium shows the risk.

Florida football learned the hard way that "buy games" can backfire in the new era of parity and unpredictability.

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida football paid USF $500K and suffered a shocking upset at home