Though Ball State University was voted into the Mid-American Conference in 1973, it wasn't the first time the Cardinals attempted to earn the required unanimous decision.
The lone institution that stood in the Cardinals' way on at least one occasion was Miami University. It's been 35 years since Ball State was admitted to the conference, but the Cardinals' football players are still aware of the opinion the RedHawks had about Ball State.
"Coach [Brady] Hoke let us know the history about how they were the only team in the MAC that voted us not in," senior nose tackle Arama Koroma said. "That's a slap in our face. We want to prove that we should've been here long before they were here."
For Hoke, who said Miami was "a very intense rival," the game is a little more personal. Hoke's father played for Miami, and Hoke calls himself an "Ohio guy." However, the RedHawks didn't recruit him or his brother to play football, and he decided to play at Ball State.
Hoke, who spent seven seasons as a defensive coach for the University of Michigan, compared the Ball State and Miami rivalry to the intense relationship between Michigan and Ohio State University.
"I have a great deal of respect for them and I always have," Hoke said after an extended pause. "I think if you look at the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, there was a great deal of respect. It's the same with Miami with the tradition of what their university and football team has stood for."
Another factor in the rivalry is the proximity the two schools have to one another. Though the universities are located in separate states, they are separated by only 75 miles.
"There's a lot of history in our rivalry and when we were playing them every year it was just an hour and 25 minutes down the road," Hoke said. "There's a lot of tradition at Miami over the course of a lot of years. So I think back when we were playing them every year. They were a lot of things Ball State wanted to be."
Between Hoke's senior season in 1980 and his first season as Ball State's coach in 2003, cornerback B.J. Hill said the rivalry lost a bit of its flavor. In that stretch Ball State lost 12 of 19 against Miami, including seven losses by at least 10 points.
However, the two teams have split games since Hoke returned to Ball State. Hill said Hoke's presence has rejuvenated the rivalry.
"This is [Hoke's] alma mater, and when he came in that's when the rivalry really picked up again," Hill said. "He's really stressed to us that we need to go out and beat these guys because we have a history with this team."
Many Cardinals fans see prestigious programs such as the University of Nebraska, Navy and instate rival Indiana University as being more exciting matchups on the 2007 schedule. However, running back MiQuale Lewis said he gets up for the RedHawks just as much as he does for the nationally-ranked teams.
"There's a lot of emotions in this game, and knowing they're our rival, you always want to beat your rival," Lewis said. "It's probably one of the biggest games of this season."
Koroma said he'll have one thing on his mind when he takes the field against the RedHawks Thursday night.
"It's a rivalry game, and it's one you can't lose," Koroma said. "We want to let them know that we are Ball State and we should've been here from the beginning."
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