Price Tag for Power Five Teams to Play Quality Arkansas State Opponent Upped to $1.8 Million

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

Since 2011, Arkansas State has been one of the most consistent winning college football programs in the nation producing 44 wins against just 21 losses which includes back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2011 and 2012. The Sun Belt Conference program tucked away in the northeastern part of Arkansas, just over an hour away from Memphis, has been a springboard for talented coaches and players heading forward in their respective careers.

Arkansas State Athletic Director Terry Mojajir has been with the Red Wolves since 2012 seeing Hugh Freeze leave for Ole Miss before he got there, Gus Malzahn return to Auburn as head coach at the end of the 2012 season, and Bryan Harsin head back to Boise State at the end of the 2013 campaign. The exodus may seem like a black eye on the program but far from it. Each coach that left the team had ties pulling them back to each respective team and only highlights the quality coaching search the Red Wolves athletic department executes before inking a deal with an up and coming head coach.

In 2014, ASU turned over the reins to Blake Anderson and the former North Carolina Tar Heels offensive coordinator has not disappointed guiding ASU to a 7-6 record in 2014, which included the programs’ fourth consecutive GoDaddy.com Bowl Game appearance, and picked up the pace in 2015 going 9-4 with an appearance in the New Orleans Bowl. The three regular season losses were all to quality non-conference teams that included a road showing at USC in Los Angeles and against Toledo in Ohio. The third defeat was a rare treat when the Red Wolves actually got a Power Five team at home. ASU gave the Missouri Tigers and the SEC a scare before falling 27-20.

When ASU traveled to USC on Sept. 5, 2015, the Trojans reportedly paid the team $1.3 million for the game. In 2017, Nebraska will pay ASU $1.65 million for the scheduled contest but the price tag just got a little bit higher to get the Red Wolves in town anytime soon. Alabama is reportedly paying Arkansas State $1.7 million to come to Tuscaloosa in 2018.

ASU’s non-conference schedule in 2016 includes Toledo, at Auburn, at Utah State, and against Central Arkansas. With an opening left to fill, the 2017 docket is slightly brutal with both Nebraska and Miami along with SMU scheduled. The 2018 lineup is not completely filled either, but UNLV, Bama, and Tulsa are scheduled.

The Red Wolves went 8-0 in Sun Belt Conference play beating out a 7-1 Appalachian State squad for the conference title. ASU dropped their fourth game of the season in the New Orleans Bowl against Conference USA’s Louisiana Tech (47-28).

Photo credit: usatoday.com; Blake Anderson (center) celebrates a Red Wolves play.