One of college football’s most historic rivalries will come to a head on Sept. 6 in South Bend, when the University of Michigan Wolverines take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for the last time in their series of yearly clashes.

The game is shaping up to a once in-a-lifetime event for devoted fans on both sides of the aisle, and the Southwestern Michigan College Foundation has a total of eight tickets they’re offering to interested buyers.

The best part: the proceeds go toward a worthy cause — the education of the area’s students.

A total of three ticket packages are up for auction by the college: a four-seat deal given to the school by an anonymous donor, and a pair of two-seat deals, donated by The Dowagiac Daily News and Leader Publications.

The foundation will use the revenue generated from the auctions to fund their annual student scholarships for the 2014-2015 school year, said Executive Director Eileen Toney. Last year, the school awarded more than $209,000 to help students to  cover the cost of attending the community college.

“One of the things we see is that incoming students have the money for tuition, but when they go to bookstore to purchase course materials and supplies, they don’t realize that one book could cost between $200 to $300,” Toney said. “They have to make a choice, and a lot of times they end up dropping the class.”

Recipients of the scholarship are chosen by a variety of methods, based on student applications, recommendations from financial aid advisors and similar criteria, Toney said.

The foundation receives funding every year from several sources, including endowment funds, galas and auctions. This is the first time that sports tickets have been donated to the college for auction in the three years since Toney took over as the head of the foundation, she said.

“We’re hoping to raise about $5,000,” she said. “That could cover a full year for a student.”

The auction for the first package closed on Thursday, with the winner being announced today. The remaining two packages will be up for bid until Wednesday, with the winners being announced later that day.

Interested people can visit https://www.swmich.edu/nd to place bids.

“These proceeds are going to  students to achieve their dream,” Toney said. “It’s about paying it forward. Someone has helped us to get where we are, and we have to obligation to help the next generation.”