Less than a week after Ball State University's first-ever ranking in a national poll, we've already seen the effect a successful Cardinals football program can have on this university.
Ball State's No. 25 ranking in the Associated Press Poll aroused the most school spirit in years. ESPN cameras, which used to be seen on campus as rarely as Big Foot, made a weekday stop to interview the Cardinals' 32-year-old defensive captain. The excitement level could develop into the mayhem of 1990 when Dick Hunsaker led Ball State's men's basketball team to the Sweet 16.
The perennial pack dwellers rose above the fold in six weeks. President Jo Ann Gora and athletics director Tom Collins must now figure out how to extend the football program's success past this year.
The process will be difficult. The gap between the Cardinals and a program like Boise State University is more than the 10 spots that separate them on this week's AP Poll.
Ball State is the Barack Obama of college football. It's the flashy upstart with the ability to endear itself to the national media. It's also wet behind the ears with no certainty its ascent is not a mere fluke.
Investing in the chance Ball State becomes the next great mid-major program is a great risk. But it's a chance Gora and Collins need to take.
The first order of business should be to increase coach Brady Hoke's salary right now.
Hoke hasn't had a perfect five-year stint with Ball State. The Cardinals need a win Saturday to improve his record with the program to .500. The defense has improved, but its shutout at Toledo was more fluke than fact. There have also been off-the-field incidents, including the team's involvement in the 2005 text book scandal.
Regardless, it's impossible to argue against the job Hoke's done in building the program.
His ability to recruit a deep crop of talent is the biggest factor in the football program's success. Even with the probability that star quarterback Nate Davis could forego next season and enter the NFL Draft, the Cardinals' remaining players are skilled enough to compete for a MAC Championship next year.
Athletics directors overseeing BCS programs will notice Hoke's coaching skills. If the Cardinals run the table this season and win a MAC Championship - a likely scenario - Hoke will get the chance to jump to the BCS.
Hoke's $240,000 base salary is the third-largest in the MAC this season and more than $25,000 more than the league average. Temple coach Al Golden paces the conference with a $575,000 base salary. That figure may be unreasonable to expect from Ball State, but Gora and Collins need to make plans to increase Hoke's base salary to $400,000.
More importantly, it needs to happen now. Hoke may have already made up his mind to coach in the BCS next season. It may be a done deal in his mind. But if Gora and Collins aren't proactive they have no chance to keep him at his alma mater.
Hoke's best decision was hiring offensive coordinator Stan Parrish in 2005. Parrish recruited most of Ball State's offensive playmakers, including Davis. He's the genius behind an offense that ranks 11th and 12th in the country, respectively, in yards and points per game.
You can make the case Parrish is as vital to the Cardinals' success as Hoke. Any offer Hoke receives from the BCS will likely include the stipulation he brings Parrish with him. That's why Parrish should be paid like a head coach, with a base salary of $150,000.
Gora and Collins can make other financial commitments.
Hoke's office in the football complex - a room resembling a janitor's closet - would make a Texas high school coach cringe. Scheumann Stadium still needs a large outdoor screen.
But if Hoke and Parrish stay at Ball State, so will the school spirit.
Write to Ryan at rtwood@bsu.edu
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