If the Las Vegas betting line holds true in the Ohio-Ohio State matchup, the Bobcats will earn more than $27,000 for every point by which they lose.
The university will receive $850,000 for playing the Buckeyes tomorrow afternoon in Columbus, according to figures given by Director of Athletics Jim Schaus.
The game is the latest in a string of non-conference games against Bowl Championship Series (BCS)-conference teams on the Bobcats' away schedule. Last year, Tennessee paid Ohio $700,000 to play the Volunteers, and the Bobcats lost, 34-23, Schaus said. The team was paid $125,000 for its matchup against North Texas.
Some games, such as Ohio's with Marshall Sept. 25, are considered guaranteed accounts
Schaus said. This means the teams will trade games and travel expenses for the next six years.
Each game will cost the opposing school approximately $50,000, Schaus said. This season, Marshall will pay for Ohio's travel and expenses to go to Huntington, W. Va. Ohio will pick up the Thundering Herd's tab next year.
Although Schaus' predecessor Kirby Hocutt made the arrangements, he said he still likes the matchup.
They're an old rival and it's close he said. We're at pretty equal levels and it should be a good matchup for the years to come.
In a similar matchup to Ohio's, Kent State travels to Penn State this weekend. Kent State will be paid $475,000 for the trip, said Alan Ashby, assistant athletic director for communications at Kent State.
Schaus said his department considers several factors when scheduling non-conference opponents.
Our goal is to have a competitive
balanced schedule
he said. If we're going to build a strong football program
we have to do it through the infrastructure.
The program tries to balance bought games
such as Wofford, and tougher contests on the road, he said. Doing so helps the program to meet financial obligations, maintain a competitive balance and build a long-term winning tradition.
The Bobcats contest against Wofford, a 33-10 Ohio victory, cost the university $200,000.
I feel like playing a school like Wofford makes us warm up to our competition
said quarterback Boo Jackson. It's a good thing that we played a Wofford and a Toledo. Now we have an Ohio State to show what we can do.
Instead of scheduling all major-conference opponents, Schaus said his department prefers to mix weak and strong matchups. This helps the program establish a national fan base.
Our goal is to have five or six straight years of winning and making it to the postseason
he said. I'd like to see us do that before we changed our philosophy.
Ohio volleyball is one team that is able to schedule up because of its performance on the court, he said.
(Coach) Ryan (Theis) has put a great team on the floor
so he's able to schedule a string of tough opponents every season.
Earlier this season, Ohio volleyball played several high-quality opponents, including No. 18 Tennessee, Northwestern, and North Carolina.
During the next five seasons, Ohio football's out-of-conference slate includes matchups at Penn State, Louisville, Kentucky and Minnesota.
Schaus highlighted the difficulties in picking high-quality opponents so many years in advance.
We have Minnesota in 2015
he said. Who knows how good they'll be by then. It's tough to say
