Arkansas State scores big at Kinnick

One week after marching into Beaver Stadium, the white out, national primetime and Penn State, the Iowa Hawkeyes will host Arkansas State.

It will cost Iowa $900,000.

Arkansas State, a member of the Sun Belt Conference that finished 6-6 last season, will receive $900,000 for its trip into Kinnick Stadium on Oct. 3. That's a record payout for an opponent to receive for a game at Kinnick, according to Mark Abbott, UI associate athletics director who handles scheduling contracts.

Iowa paid Montana $650,000 for the 2006 season opener at Kinnick.

The price of filling the odd open home date could more than anything else drive the Big Ten into a nine-game league schedule. Right now, Big Ten teams have eight league games and four non-conference. Since the 12th game has been added, a market for short notice, fill-a-date home games has developed, thus the nearly million dollar price tag on the Arkansas State game.

Iowa's non-conference mode is Iowa State, another BCS school in a recruiting area (Pitt) or heavy alumni area (Arizona), a MAC-type (Ball State in '10) and, in recent years, a quick fill-in with a price tag for another home game.

"It's become quite a competitive arena," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said at Big Ten media days. "That's the landscape that's out there right now. It's tough. I think most of us sitting here in this room would rather have that extra home game, for obvious reasons.

"It's getting tough to put a schedule together. . . . Everybody's got bills to pay."

Not long after the Iowa deal, Arkansas State broke the $1 million mark, agreeing to a game at Auburn in 2010.

"When we've had to look at playing guarantee games, we have tried to maximize those opportunities," Arkansas State athletics director Dr.?Dean Lee told ESPN.com. "The million-dollar mark is a small milestone to help us ensure that we are achieving full-market value for Arkansas State."

A popular topic at the Big Ten meetings was adding a ninth game to the conference schedule. There are a ton of possibilities, but one thing the conference could do is match teams through rivalry. Iowa is matched with Minnesota and Wisconsin, meaning those two teams will always be on the Hawkeyes' schedule. This season, Illinois and Purdue aren't on Iowa's schedule. The Fighting Illini would be a logical rivalry matchup for Iowa.

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany called the topic "alive" during media days. There's no clear majority in favor, but there is agreement to discuss it.

Home games are a possible hurdle.

"I think one problem is the five-four mix, the five home games and four away," he said. "For some institutions, like Iowa with Iowa State and then Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue with Notre Dame and a couple other cases where you have a long-standing home-and-away rivalry, those would have to be sequenced."

That means schools aren't going to want to give up a home game and the $3 to $4 million, which is what a nine-game schedule might force. So, yeah, there are some hurdles.

By the way, Iowa's four non-conference games in 2010 are Eastern Illinois, Iowa State, @ Arizona and Ball State.

Hawkeye thought of the day -- Iowa punter Ryan Donahue has been named to the Ray Guy Award watch list. Now, this isn't one of those "all aboard" lists. It includes only nine names. It'll grow when the season starts and when nominations are taken, but it's a meaningful honor for the Iowa junior who made it as a semifinalist last season.

By the way, yes, I have a vote in this. Last year, I believe I voted for the University of Utah guy.

Big Ten thought of the day -- I first saw ESPN.com's relegation draft and didn't think much of it. Then, Pat Forde tweeted about it all day on Twitter and it drew me in. Click the link, but here's the spoiler: Iowa ended up 27th. That's close to being right. You could definitely make an argument for top 25. ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach wondered why Iowa and what has Iowa done this decade? I'm sure Iowa folks filled him in on the two Big Ten co-titles.

National CFB thought of the day -- ESPN's Bruce Feldman has a Q&A with Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, another in a long line of coaches who would've been a much better choice for Iowa State than Gene Chizik. . . . Is Hawaii coach Greg McMackin's punishment just? I vote yes. . . . SI.com's Andy Staples studies the growing chasm between the haves and the have-nots in college football. Pretty soon, there are going to be more Kansas City Royals than we all want to admit.

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