Redhawks sign on to play Ball State in football in 2010

~ Southeast agreed to its 2010 Division I-A football opponent

Southeast Missouri State athletic director John Shafer, on the job a little less than eight months, said he was scrambling to find the Redhawks' 2010 Division I-A football opponent.

Shafer recently ended his scramble by lining up the football program's annual "money" game for next year as the Redhawks will face Ball State in Muncie, Ind.

That contest will be Sept. 2 -- a Thursday -- and serve as the season opener for both teams.

"So many of these schools have their schedules set through 2013, 2014, things like that," Shafer said. "I was scrambling, quite honestly, trying to find somebody that had an open date. I feel very fortunate."

Shafer said he especially feels fortunate about the terms of the contract with Ball State as Southeast will be paid $275,000 by the Mid-American Conference university.

That's the same amount Cincinnati of the much higher-profile Big East Conference paid Southeast for this year's game.

"I feel very good about that. I think they did me a favor," Shafer said. "I also like that it's a decent trip that our people can get to."

The 2010 matchup at Ball State will break a four-year stretch during which Southeast's annual Division I-A "money" game was against a squad from a BCS conference.

Those contests all proved to be monumental blowouts as the closest Southeast came was 52-3 against Missouri last season. The Redhawks lost to Cincinnati 70-3 in this year's second game.

Ball State had a big 2008 season, winning its first 12 games before finishing 12-2 after a loss in the GMAC Bowl.

The Cardinals, hit hard by graduation, are off to an 0-3 start this year. That includes a 23-16 loss to Division I-AA New Hampshire.

Southeast is 0-6 against current MAC squads, but twice held late leads against Eastern Michigan. Eastern Michigan rallied for wins in 2001 (16-12) and 2002 (35-32).

While beating Ball State would represent a significant upset, Shafer acknowledged that it's more of a possibility than knocking off the BCS conference teams Southeast has faced the past four years -- Cincinnati twice, Missouri and Arkansas.

In 2011, Southeast's "money" game will be against another BCS conference squad as the Redhawks visit the Big Ten's Purdue. That game already had been set before Shafer began his duties at Southeast on Feb. 1.

Shafer said the Purdue contract calls for Southeast to receive $315,000, a school record. The previous high payday was $300,000 from Arkansas in 2006.

Southeast is 1-14 against Division I-A opponents, the lone win being 24-14 against Middle Tennessee State of the Sun Belt Conference in 2002.

Shafer said he spends substantial time each week looking for future Division I-A opponents, along with other nonconference foes.

"Two days a week I have scheduling on my to-do list," Shafer said. "I talk to people."

Shafer said it's important for universities like Southeast to play a Division I-A football game each year to generate revenue that Shafer said is spread across the athletic department budget.

Likewise, Southeast's men's basketball program generates a substantial amount of annual revenue for either playing games at major programs or by participating in various tournaments.

This year the basketball Redhawks will be paid a total of $220,000 for a game at Memphis, a game at Saint Louis and a tournament at Illinois State that features three contests.

"These things are very important to our budget," Shafer said.

Meanwhile, Shafer said he still is looking for a final nonconference home opponent to complete Southeast's 2010 football schedule.

In addition to Ball State, the other nonconference game will be at Southern Illinois. That is part of a three-year series between the regional rivals that has the Salukis coming to Cape Girardeau later this year and again in 2011.

Shafer said he would like to line up a lower-division opponent similar to what Southeast has played annually since 2006.

The Redhawks opened this season with NAIA Quincy, faced Division II Southwest Baptist in both 2008 and 2007 and played Division II Missouri-Rolla in 2006.

"I'm still scrambling for that one," Shafer said.

Southeast again will play eight Ohio Valley Conference games next year, four at home and four on the road.

The 2010 season will start with three straight road contests. Following the opener at Ball State, the Redhawks begin OVC play at Murray State on Sept. 11 before visiting SIU on Sept. 18.

Other OVC road games are at Eastern Illinois (Oct. 2), Austin Peay (Oct. 16) and Jacksonville State (Nov. 13). Conference home games are against Tennessee Tech (Sept. 25), Tennessee State (Oct. 9), Eastern Kentucky (Oct. 23) and Tennessee-Martin (Oct. 30).

That would leave either Nov. 6 or Nov. 20 for Southeast's final nonconference contest.