Buy games are supposed to be straightforward.
The Broncos had other ideas.
As it got late on Saturday night, WMU rattled off a 20-play, 13-minute drive to take the lead on Michigan. An upset bid was very well alive.
And whether or not Western Michigan pulled it off, they’d be going home with a big payday.
It’d just feel that much better to bring the money and a victory back to Kalamazoo.
Update: Michigan won the game on a last-play Hail Mary. Western Michigan’s upset comes up just short.
How Much Did Michigan Pay Western Michigan?
Michigan paid Western Michigan a guaranteed amount of $1.5 million to play on Saturday night, Sept. 5, 2026 at the Big House, according to MLive.
That’s an amount that goes to WMU via an agreed-upon contract, no matter the result of the game.
Western Michigan will get another $1.6 million to come back and play in Ann Arbor in 2029.
The MLive report also details that Western Michigan is given 400 complimentary tickets to the game as part of the agreement.
The $1.5 million is a little less than Ohio State paid Ball State on Saturday ($1.9 million), but that also didn’t turn into upset watch for the Buckeyes.
It’s a relatively common amount for one of these huge programs to give to a smaller program for an early season non-conference game.
Why Did Michigan Pay Western Michigan?
These “buy games” are a common feature of the early part of the college football season.
The idea is two-fold.
For Michigan, the idea is to get a nice home game to open the season, one that they hope feels like a tune-up, and one that usually wouldn’t result in an early loss for their record.
Of course, Western Michigan had other ideas on Saturday night.
For WMU, it’s a solid outcome even if they don’t win.
For one, their players get the chance to play on a huge stage and prove to themselves that they might just belong.
But even if it had been a one-sided Michigan win, WMU would’ve brought a big payday back to campus. That goes back to help both the football program but also the rest of the athletic programs at Western Michigan.
There can be risk involved in games like these when there’s a true mismatch. Injuries can happen. It can end poorly.
But when an upset starts to brew, it can be particularly compelling. It just adds insult to injury that there’s a buy-game payout heading to Western Michigan even if they pull off an upset.
A night like this, if it turns bad, can be an awful one for Michigan.
Even if the Wolverines avoid an upset, it’s not a particularly fun endeavor when you add it all up.
This Is How Much Michigan Paid Western Michigan For Upset Bid