KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2010 / SPORTS
5B
FOOTBALL
Financial implications may play a role in scheduling
FBS schools pay FCS teams to play with varying results
BY MIKE LAVIERI
mlavieri@kansan.com
North Dakota State Athletic Director Gene Taylor recognizes that Bison football is expected to be the patsy; an easy, early-season win for the opposition. He expects that was the case when Kansas scheduled North Dakota State for its opening game.
After losing to NDSU, 6-3, the Jayhawks managed to salvage a win against second-tier New Mexico State, 42-16. In all, Kansas paid more than $1 million to post a 1-1 record against what were to be two season-padding victories.
NDSU fared much better in the arrangement with Kansas. It not only won the game, but received a guarantee of $350,000 to travel to Lawrence. Taylor said $350,000 is a typical asking price for the Bison to play non-conference games against top NCAA schools.
A Football Championship Subdivision opponent looks like an easy win on any Football Bowl Subdivision team's schedule. That wasn't the case for KU this year when Larry Keating, Kansas senior associate athletics director, created the schedule, which is made two to four years in advance of the season. This season's schedule is a product of the Mark Mangino era. Current head coach Turner Gill has discussed scheduling with Keating for the 2011 season going forward.
Keating, who is in charge of scheduling for football as well as men's and women's basketball, has to schedule at least six home games a year. Four will come from the Big 12 schedule and the other two will be non-conference games — typically the home end of a home and home with a FBS team and a guaranteed game with a FCS team.
According to Keating, nonconference home games are not scheduled just for easy wins, but for financial reasons as well. Home games are profitable, particularly home openers that are expected to be victories.
In 2008, Kansas earned an average of about $1.36 million per game in ticket sales. The money goes directly to Kansas Athletics Inc.'s budget. Football has a budget that is for everyday expenses such as recruiting. In 2008, the football program's operating budget was about $17.7 million, which comprised of ticket sales, NCAA conference distribution and concessions.
"There is an operating budget for each sport, but it does not include grants and aid, travel and salaries and fringe benefits," said Susan Wachter, Kansas Athletics Inc. chief financial officer.
Part of the budget is used to offer a guarantee to a FCS school. A typical guarantee from Kansas for a FCS school is between $300,000 and $400,000, according to Keating.
On Sept. 25, the layhawks played FBS opponent New Mexico State and paid $700,000 for the Aggies to come to Lawrence.
Keating said a FBS school guarantee generally costs between $400,000 and $700,000. But that isn't always the case.
In the second home game this season, the Jayhawks hosted FBS opponent Georgia Tech. Next season, Kansas will reciprocate by traveling to Atlanta to play Tech. A "home-and-home" series usually exchanges a guarantee of about $150,000 to offset expenses, Keating said.
During a two-year period, two guaranteed games will net more money than a home-and-home
series. Having those games gives the home team an advantage.
The team paying the guarantee doesn't guarantee them a win a home, but history is usually on the favorite side.
FBS teams have a combined 842-104 (.890) record against FCS teams since 1996. The Big 12 is 88-3 (.967) in that time period.
Taylor knows his schools couldn't compete week in and week out with FBS schools.
"We don't have the allocation of scholarships like Division I-A," Taylor said.
However, the games against FBS teams are more beneficial to the Bison's athletic department.
"We make a little more with a guarantee than a home game," Tavlor said.
For NDSU, early-season guaranties generate more revenue than its home game. The Bison will earn about $100,000 to $150,000 per home game. The money they receive is also figured into NDSU's athletic department budget and does not go directly back to the football program. NDSU does not list the financial information on its athletics website.
The Bison try to schedule guaranteed games regionally. Taylor said this is because this is based on the fans — Bison fans travel well.
North Dakota State usually tries to schedule games in the region. It has played Minnesota (twice), Iowa State, Ball State, Wyoming and Central Michigan since 2006. NDSU is 4-3 in those games, notably beating Minnesota 27-21 and Central Michigan 44-14, both in 2007.
MLB
Edited by Clark Goble
Pitchers batted around in Giants' 11-7 Game 1 win
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants turned the World Series opener into an extra long round of batting practice — against Cliff Lee and the Texas Rangers.
Giants fans taut Cliff Lee as he head to the dugout in Game 1 of the World Series. Lee left the inning in the fifth innings during San Francisco's 11-7 victory to jump ahead in the series.
Freddy Sanchez sprayed balls down the lines. Cody Ross and Aubrey Huff hit line drives up the middle. Juan Uribe launched a shot far, far over the wall.
So much for the unbeatable Mr. Lee.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Giants battered him and the bullpen, with Sanchez hitting three doubles and keying a six-run burst in an 11-7 romp Wednesday night that looked even more lopsided.
What shaped up as a pitchers' duel between Tim Lincecum and Lee quickly deteriorated into a rout. By the end, the Rangers played like the World Series rookies they are — they made four errors, Ian Kinsler took a mistake turn around first base and manager Ron Washington may have waited too late to pull his ace.
Former Giants slugger Barry Bonds had plenty to cheer for from his seat next to the San Francisco dugout, especially when a tie game suddenly became an 8-2 thumping in the fifth inning. Rangers president and part-owner Nolan Ryan sat there glumly in a suit and tie, his prized pitcher a wreck.
Added up, the Giants improved to 10-0 against Texas at AT&T Park. Showers are in the forecast for Game 2 on Thursday night when Matt Cain and his 0.00 ERA in two playoff start takes on C.J. Wilson and the Rangers.
The Rangers did late damage, scoring three times in the ninth. Nelson Cruz hit a two-out, two-run double off Brian Wilson before the Fear the Beard closer finished it off.
Sanchez finished with four of
the Giants' 14 hits, which included six doubles. Right after Lee walked off the mound in the fifth, Uribe greeted sidearming reliever Darren O'Day with a three-run jolt that broke it open.
San Francisco had gotten through the NL playoffs because of their dominant pitching, plus an ability to win one-run decisions. None of that came into
play on this beautiful night for baseball.
Lincecum struggled at the beginning, making a strange mental error, but settled down as the game progressed. The shaggy-haired ace walked off to a standing ovation in the sixth, his glove in his right hand and his head down.
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