Every year since athletics director Tom Collins arrived at Ball State University in December 2005, he has attempted to apply his theory about a football team's schedule.
Despite inheriting multiple game contracts from his predecessor, Collins has tried to establish a system of playing one challenging game against a BCS conference team and three more winnable non-conference games.
Maybe he's getting the hang of it.
For the second-consecutive season, Collins said Monday that he succeeded in forming an ideal schedule.
Ball State announced earlier this week that it will open the 2009 football season with two home games - the University of North Texas on Sept. 3 and the University of New Hampshire on Sept. 12. The Cardinals will also play at Army on Sept. 19 and at Auburn University on Sept. 26 to end their non-conference season.
"I like the mix of ... games we have," Collins said. "That will prepare us to get ready for the MAC season."
Ball State enters the 2009 season after finishing the 2008 regular season undefeated and being ranked as high as No. 12 in the BCS standings. Ball State ended the season with a loss to the University at Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference Championship Game and a loss to the University of Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl.
The four non-conference teams Ball State will play were a combined 19-30 in the 2008 season. Auburn - the only BCS conference opponent - had a 5-7 record and was not bowl eligible for the first time in 10 seasons.
Originally scheduled to be played last season, the Ball State-Auburn game was rescheduled at Auburn's request in September 2005, according to Ball State records. It is also the final game of a two-game contract, with Auburn winning the first game 63-3 in 2005.
Collins and first-year head coach Stan Parrish were not involved in negotiating the Auburn contract. However, both said they like the opportunity for the Cardinals to get the experience of playing one BCS team every regular season.
"I like us going to get to taste the big time every year," Parrish said.
Ball State will receive $800,000 from Auburn for playing this second road game in Alabama, according to documents obtained through the Indiana Access to Public Records Act.
Despite it being a common practice for football teams to receive compensation for playing non-conference road games, this will be the most money Ball State will collect for a non-conference game in more than four years.
In previous seasons, Ball State was paid $725,000 for playing a road game against the University of Nebraska in 2007 and $495,000 for playing the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., in 2006.
Collins said after the 2009 game against Auburn that Ball State probably will not schedule anymore games against the Tigers.
He also said Parrish and he prefer to schedule home-home contracts - where each team gets to play one home game - with BCS conference teams. Those contracts are different from Ball State's agreements with Auburn and other BCS conference teams such as Purdue University that have the Cardinals only playing road games.
The Cardinals have one home-home contract scheduled with a BCS conference team for the next five years. Ball State will play the University of South Florida on the road in 2011 and at home in 2012.
Collins said with the team's recent success, it has become more difficult to schedule future games.
"Some schools view us as not the school we used to be and know it's not going to be an easy win," he said.
Parrish, who was promoted to head coach in December, said the Cardinals' 2009 schedule is similar to last season's. In that season their only BCS non-conference game was against Indiana University, which finished in last place in the Big Ten.
During the season, though, Associated Press Poll voters such as Marcus Fuller from the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Mike Prater of the Idaho Statesman said Ball State would not be ranked high because of its easy schedule. In four regular season non-conference games last season, Navy was the only team Ball State played that became bowl eligible.
"We don't need to make any apologizes for beating bowl teams from the year before," Parrish said.
Parrish said he is not worried about how people will perceive Ball State's schedule. He also said this is the type of schedule he wants to have every season he is Ball State's coach.
"This is a good schedule early in the year and a very testing schedule, but fair," Parrish said.
Of the four non-conference teams Ball State will play, New Hampshire -ยก- a Football Championship Subdivision team from the Colonial Athletic Association - had the best record last season at 10-3. It also finished No. 8 in the final FCS poll.
North Texas finished last season 1-11, and Army lost its last four games to end the season at 4-9.
Regardless of New Hampshire not being in the Football Bowl Subdivision, Parrish said the Wildcats are a good football program and are similar to the North Dakota State University team that defeated Ball State at home in 2006.
In the last five seasons, New Hampshire has won four consecutive games against FBS teams. Two of those wins were against BCS conference teams - one more win against BCS conference teams than Ball State has in its program's 85-year history.
"Anyone that doesn't think they are a good team hasn't studied football much," Parrish said.
The schools began negotiations about a month ago, Collins said, because each team needed to schedule another non-conference game. He also said he was surprised New Hampshire was willing to travel to the Midwest because most FCS teams do not travel far for non-conference games.
"New Hampshire and us found out that the dates worked," Collins said. "We respect what they are doing and are excited to host New Hampshire."
Of the non-conference games, New Hampshire was the last game to be scheduled. The other three were scheduled prior to the start of the 2007 season.
Collins said he was looking to play a game against a team like New Hampshire, instead of another BCS conference team. He also said the decision to play against New Hampshire was made before junior quarterback Nate Davis - the 2008 MAC Offensive Player of the Year - declared for the NFL Draft earlier this month.
With the game against the Wildcats, the Cardinals will play two home games and two road games in the non-conference season.
Collins said that type of balance in the non-conference season is important for the players and the fans to have a successful season.
"I think what we are trying to do is sell these home games to the season ticket holder and get our team ready to win for our conference season."
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