Missouri State football will play its annual FBS opponent when it travels to play Ball State on Saturday afternoon.

As an FCS program, the Bears will receive a guaranteed payment for playing an FBS team. Such games are beneficial to the school’s annual athletics budget. In fiscal year 2022, the Bears’ $425,000 guarantee payment they received made up for about 27.1% of the revenue the program generated minus the direct institutional support.

The Bears are set to receive larger guaranteed payments once they join the FBS ranks and Conference USA in 2025.

Missouri State football vs Ball State guarantee payment

Ball State is paying Missouri State $325,000 to play Saturday’s game in Muncie, Indiana.

More: Can Missouri State AD Patrick Ransdell get Mizzou to Springfield? What he said about scheduling.

What are Missouri State football’s future guarantee payments?

Every game contract except for the 2027 matchup at Cincinnati was signed before Missouri State announced it was joining Conference USA and the FBS ranks.

Missouri State will likely attempt to renegotiate each game under contract hoping to receive the typical FBS rate, much like the seven-figure deal it landed with Cincinnati.

The Bears recently paid $150,000 to get out of their 2025 opener with Arkansas, which was originally going to pay Missouri State $500,000. The Bears will likely land a replacement game that can pay them at least double what the Razorbacks initially agreed to pay and declined to increase.

• 2026 — @ Kansas State ($450,000)
• 2027 — @ Cincinnati ($1.125 million)
• 2027 — @ Kansas ($500,000) 
• 2029 — @ Mizzou ($550,000)
• 2030 — @ Tulsa ($400,000)
• 2032 — @ Tulsa ($435,000)
• 2033 — @ Mizzou ($550,000)

Missouri State will also receive $300,000 from Marshall in a home-and-home agreement that begins with the Bears going to Marshall in 2025 and the Thundering Hurd coming to Springfield in 2026.

How much will Missouri State football make in future game contracts as a Conference USA program?

Missouri State’s first seven-figure deal to play Cincinnati is only the beginning. The Bears are going to get much larger contracts moving forward.

Here are the dollar amounts Group of 5 programs took home last week when playing Power Conference opponents:

• Western Kentucky @ Alabama – $1.9 million
• Fresno State @ Michigan – $1.85 million
• Colorado State @ Texas – $1.8 million
• UTEP @ Nebraska – $1.65 million
• Kent State @ Pittsburgh – $1.1 million
• Miami (Ohio) @ Northwestern – $1.1 million

Added to landing the seven-figure deals, Missouri State can play more than one of these games in a single season. More money is coming the Bears’ way for playing these games.

What will future Missouri State football contracts with Group of 5 programs look like?

It is a rarity for Missouri State to play Group of 5 programs. This is the Bears’ first since 2019, when they lost to Tulane. They also played Memphis and Arkansas State during the Dave Steckel era. You’re going to see Missouri State schedule non-conference games with those from the Sun Belt, MAC, American and Mountain West more often in the near future.

Future contracts with Group of 5 opponents are now more likely to include return games to Springfield without the guaranteed payment. It will look more like Missouri State’s home-and-home deal with ACC program SMU, where they will play one game in Springfield and one in Dallas. Don’t expect Missouri State to land many home-and-home deals with programs from the SEC, Big Ten, ACC or Big 12 often.