How a canceled college football game led to a $1.5 million payday for one FBS school

It all started with one canceled college football game. It ended with Middle Tennessee  being paid a total of $1.5 million from two schools to play James Madison in its opening game Saturday in Harrisonburg, Virginia.   

The story began in 2015, and it provides a window on how the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision non-conference scheduling ecosystem has become one through which well over $175 million will flow this season, according to USA TODAY Sports' analysis of nearly 300 game contracts obtained from schools through open-records requests.

Missouri and Middle Tennessee scheduled a three-game football series to be played out in 2016, 2022, and 2023. The games in 2016 and 2023 would be played in Columbia, Missouri. Sandwiched between was this year's scheduled matchup set to take place in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

However, Missouri backed out of the scheduled 2022 road contest last fall, triggering an $800,000 payment to Middle Tennessee as part of the game contract.

Middle Tennessee was left without an opponent less than a year away from college football's kickoff weekend.

"It was really difficult, because there weren't a whole lot of possibilities out there," said Middle Tennessee athletic director Chris Massaro.

"Just to add another would have been really tough as you're counting wins to go to bowl games."

Enter James Madison, set to play its inaugural Bowl Subdivision season in 2022. The Dukes, who had won six of the last seven conference titles in the Colonial Athletic Association, were looking to "aggressively" transition into FBS, announcing their intent to join the Sun Belt in November 2021 and receiving the opportunity to play a full Bowl Subdivision schedule in 2022 shortly thereafter. The reclassification resulted in the cancellation of more non-conference games James Madison had already contracted out for FCS competition.

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While the Sun Belt provided James Madison with an eight-game conference schedule, the four home games from league play were one short of the number required for the Dukes to be considered an FBS school. Without another home game, their admission to the FBS would be delayed another year.

"The entire key for us to get a Sun Belt Conference schedule this year was to add that fifth home FBS game beyond the four home [games] that the Sun Belt would give us," said James Madison assistant athletic director Kevin Warner.

That's where Middle Tennessee's unexpected availability became a benefit. The sides agreed on a one-game deal that would see the Blue Raiders be paid $700,000, a significant guarantee for a game involving two Group of Five schools.

Even with the combined $1.5 million windfall from the two schools, the schedule adjustment wasn't all positive for Middle Tennessee. Having an SEC opponent come to Murfreesboro is a rarity for Middle Tennessee. Their last home game against an SEC team came in 2017 against Vanderbilt.

The school planned for the special occasion accordingly, centering most of their marketing push around the Missouri game, pitching the game to corporate sponsors and basing preliminary season ticket plans around the idea of the Tigers being the tentpole event of the home season.

The university is also planning to retire the jersey of former Middle Tennessee and current Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard this season. While no date was set at the time of cancellation, the Missouri game was "really attractive," according to Massaro.

Missouri's decision to cancel on Middle Tennessee was born out of the desire to add a seventh home game and ease an early schedule that would have seen the Tigers play a majority of the first half of their season on the road.

It's worth noting that Middle Tennessee won the 2016 game at Missouri and the prospect of losing an opener to a team from Conference USA would not be ideal, especially as coach Eli Drinkwitz enters his third year with an 11-12 record at the school.

“First, just thank the administration for understanding that this season is a challenge regardless," Drinkwitz said this week when addressing the schedule switch. "Had we not moved this game, we were fixing of having three of our first four on the road and four of our first six.”

The new Missouri opener against Louisiana Tech - which was announced in January - was moved to Thursday night and will be broadcast by ESPNU, providing Missouri with greater exposure for its program.

“Being able to have our own platform on Thursday night, to be one of whatever seven to eight games that are Thursday night. Now it’s up to us and our program to take advantage of that," Drinkwitz said.

Securing the seventh home game will cost Missouri $1,300,000 in total, with an additional $500,000 paid to Louisiana Tech to go with its Middle Tennessee buyout. For them, though, that's a small price to pay as an SEC team. Faurot Field has a current seating capacity of 61,620 people. Tickets for Missouri's game against Louisiana Tech sold through the school's website range from $25 to $50. Even if the game is not sold out, Missouri should recoup its losses and then some, all with a single home game.

For a newcomer to the FBS, James Madison is paying quite the hefty sum to get Middle Tennessee to visit. Its other home non-conference game pays Nicholls State $125,000.

While it was an unexpected payment, Warner says that it is part of the money "figured in" to the move to FBS.

"We felt it was an investment, really, in our entire schedule," said Warner. "To pay the guarantee so that the eight Sun Belt games could happen."

In addition, the game with Middle Tennessee now serves as James Madison's statement arrival to the FBS. Instead of hosting an FCS team or starting its season on the road, James Madison has the opportunity to host a bona fide Group of Five team who has made bowl games in five of the last eight years. According to Warner, James Madison is the first school in at least 20 years to play a home game in its first game after transitioning to the FBS.

"It's a big opportunity, it's exciting for our fan base," said Warner. "But really, it is a measure-stick-type of game to see how we might fare in the full Sun Belt slate that comes after it."

As for Middle Tennessee, Massaro says the team will still head to Columbia, Missouri, next season to fulfill the third game of the contract.

"Yeah, we're going to honor our contract," said Massaro.

Contributing: Chris Kwiecinski, Columbia Daily Tribune

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Middle Tennessee is getting $1.5M to play James Madison in opener