How does Villanova benefit financially from facing Penn State in Week 3? Here's what we know

Villanova will not be simply visiting Penn State for a Week 3 non-conference clash on Saturday at Beaver Stadium just to play a game. They’ll also fulfill their part of an agreement with the Lions that helps fund various initiatives for both the football program and the athletic department as a whole. The terms of the agreement between the two sides, which began with a meeting in 2021 before this one, are not available. Neither school is obligated to release the info. So, they probably won’t.

But, based on data from FCS Football Central, we know that at least 25 FBS teams are paying FCS foes at least $500,000 to play this year. Ohio State leads that list. It gave Grambling State $1 million for last week’s 70-0 Buckeyes shutout victory. So, the amount of money changing hands for this contest in State College figures to be in that range. What does it go toward? Longtime Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante was asked and answered that question during the Colonial Athletic Association coaches ZOOM conference on Monday.

“These are the games that pretty much just about everybody in our league plays. And a lot of FCS teams play these FBS, guaranteed games. It just helps you within the whole program. You know, we travel well, we stay in nice places. We eat well. It allows us to have a nice training table here during the course of the week. It’s the games that we play to help just the overall program and the overall budget in the department. So these games mean a lot. And if we’re able to go out there and secure a victory over one of them, then that’s obviously icing on the cake.

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“But, these are games that just bring a little added revenue to the program, which allows us to do things. We charter a flight when we fly, as opposed to commercial. And these games help in those situations. And like I said, you know, we stay at decent hotels, and we do a good job with other stuff. Our guys get good gear, and all that stuff helps support each other. So we play these games, and I’ve talked to our administration, and they’ve talked to me over the years.

“You know, when you play an FBS team, I’ve mentioned before, Penn State, obviously number two in the country, you never know that’s where they’re going to be when these games are scheduled. This game was scheduled along with the 2021 game. It was just kind of a package deal. So who knew four years later, they’d be number two in the country. But, you know, I always say, if we’re going to play a money game or a guarantee game, then I prefer to be a bus trip. Because as soon as you’d have to take a charter, it’s going to eat up some of that money that you’re trying to put back into the program.

“But, these games are great. Our guys are excited about it. You know, we have guys on our team that, you know, were probably hoping to get recruited by those types of schools. And the fact that we get to play against them, I know they get excited about that as well.”

Penn State will likely not play Villanova again anytime soon. This two-game agreement was made back in 2018. No renewal has been announced since.