The Ball State University football team announced its 2006 schedule, which begins with four of five games at home, a televised late-season game at the University of Toledo and a game with University of Michigan.
The first four home games are in the evening. The Cardinals open the season against Eastern Michigan University Thursday, Aug. 31 at 6:30 p.m.
The next home game is against Indiana University on Sept. 9. The game against the Hoosiers is the first time Ball State has ever played host to a Big Ten school.
"I think that's good," coach Brady Hoke said. "Indiana, you get to play at home in front of your students. I think that's important."
On Sept. 16, Ball State travels to Purdue University.
North Dakota State University, a Division II school, visits on Sept. 23 for Family Weekend and Northern Illinois follows on Sept. 30 for Cardinal Varsity Club Donor Appreciation Day. Both games are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. starts.
"We've got lights," Hoke said. "We'd better use them. There's an atmosphere for the night games. It gives people a chance to do family things during the day. Hopefully, the students get cranked up for it. I know our kids enjoy it."
The Cardinals go on the road for five of the final seven weeks of the season. They play Buffalo University Oct. 7 and Central Michigan University Oct. 14, then return to Muncie for the Homecoming game against Western Michigan University 2 p.m. Oct. 21.
The next three weeks, Ball State will hit the road. The Cardinals play Miami on Oct. 28, at Michigan Nov. 4 and at Toledo Tuesday, Nov. 14 in a game that will be televised by ESPN 2.
"It'll be exciting to go play Toledo there on TV," Hoke said.
The meeting with Michigan is the first for Ball State.
"To play in front of 112,000 people, that's got to be exciting," Hoke said.
The schedule ends with a Friday, Nov. 24 game at home against Kent State University.
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