Regardless of who wins Saturday's Ball State University and University of Nebraska football game, Ball State will leave Lincoln, Neb. nearly three-quarter-of-$1 million richer.
In November 2005, the two schools agreed to a one game deal that pays Ball State $725,000 for playing at Nebraska Saturday, according to a contract obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request,
Ball State enters Saturday's game against No. 24 Nebraska with a 2-1 record. It is the first time the Cardinals have a winning record three games into the season since 1995.
Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Tom Collins said he does not mind taking large amounts of money to play nationally renowned programs like Nebraska for a non-conference game.
"I think I'm OK doing it as long as it balances with the schedule," he said.
Although he doesn't mind playing a team like Nebraska, Collins said, he wants to avoid scheduling three or four games a season for money against nationally renowned programs.
At the time the agreement with Nebraska was signed, the Cardinals had recently concluded the 2005 season with a 4-7 record, including a 56-0 loss to then-No. 12 University of Iowa and a 63-3 loss to Auburn University. In addition, Ball State was without a permanent athletic director following the resignation of Bubba Cunningham in October 2005.
Current Deputy Director of Athletics Ken Brown signed the contract for Ball State, as he was the interim athletics director at the time.
Brown was unavailable for comment because he was traveling to Nebraska Thursday. Officials from Nebraska could not be reached either.
Ball State will receive a total of $725,000 for the three other road non-conference games this season, the same amount it is getting from Nebraska. Ball State got $150,000 from the Naval Academy, and will receive $250,000 from Indiana University and $ 325,000 from the University of Illinois for games later this season.
Collins said the contract with Nebraska was similar to other ones the Ball State football team signed prior to his arrival at the university in January 2006.
"Before I was here, they were always looking to play one experience game where the student athletes got to play one famous program and the university got a big guarantee [of money]," he said.
The contract with Nebraska is a one game agreement.
Ball State has also scheduled two for one deals in the past, Collins said. In a two for one deal, Ball State would host one game and travel to the opponent for two games.
Collins said he does not like two for one contracts.
"I'm not real excited about two for one," he said. "I'm just not sure it's fair."
Instead, Collins said he tries to sign deals in which Ball State plays one home game and one road game, such as the contracts Ball State has with the Naval Academy and Western Kentucky University for the 2007 and 2008 seasons.
In addition to balancing the number of home and away games in contracts, Collins said, he is trying to balance Ball State's season schedule.
The plan is for Ball State to play eight conference games a season, Collins said, four at home and four on the road. He also said the Cardinals will play four non-conference games a year, two at home and two on the road.
For three consecutive seasons, from 2003-2005, the Cardinals played at least two games a season against teams who were ranked in the Associated Press top 25 at one point during the season.
Nebraska is the second ranked opponent Ball State has played since Collins arrived at the university. The Cardinals played then No. 2 University of Michigan last year.
While the money is good for Ball State, Collins said, the biggest benefit of playing teams like Nebraska and Michigan is the great experience that student athletes get by playing the game.
Collins also said while Ball State is getting a large amount of money to play Nebraska, it does not mean that the Cardinals will lose. He referenced Ball State's 34-26 loss to Michigan last season as evidence that the Cardinals can compete with ranked teams.
"It's a chance to knock someone out of the top 25 and have everybody in America see it," he said.
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