The Kentucky Wildcats will pay the Toledo Rockets a massive guarantee for their 2032 football matchup, FBSchedules.com has learned.
Kentucky and Toledo originally signed a three-game, two-for-one series in 2019, with contests scheduled in Lexington in 2025 and 2028 and one game in Toledo in 2027. According to that contract, the Wildcats were set to pay the Rockets $800,000 for the 2025 game and $700,000 for the 2028 matchup.
A 2021 amendment later swapped the 2027 and 2028 game locations. As part of that adjustment, Kentucky increased the guarantee for the 2025 game to $1 million, bringing the total payout for the series to $1.7 million.
The latest amendment—obtained from the University of Toledo via an open records request—modifies the agreement once again, portions of which had already been referenced in a previous press release. Kentucky canceled the 2027 and 2028 games due to the SEC’s move to a nine‑game conference schedule, stating the shift made it “impossible and impractical” for the schools to play.
Per a clause in the original contract, Kentucky will not owe a penalty for those cancellations. The clause allowed either party to cancel without obligation due to “any other event or reason beyond the control of either party, including that of the Southeastern Conference or the National Collegiate Athletic Association.”
As part of the new amendment, Kentucky agreed to host Toledo on September 4, 2032, in Lexington. The Wildcats will pay the Rockets a $2 million guarantee for that game.
Kentucky also agreed that if the 2032 matchup is rescheduled or canceled for any reason, Toledo will receive $1.5 million. Additionally, the Wildcats committed to scheduling one future game against Toledo in men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and women’s volleyball during either the 2026–27, 2027–28, or 2028–29 seasons.
To our knowledge, this marks only the second time a school has agreed to pay a $2 million guarantee for a single football game. The first came in 2014, when Florida paid Colorado State that amount after hiring Rams head coach Jim McElwain.
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