By DOUG ZALESKI
dzaleski@muncie.gannett.com

MUNCIE — Ball State has finalized its non-conference football schedule for 2010, and it picks up steam almost as soon as it starts.

The Cardinals will open the season at home on Thursday, Sept. 2 against Southeast Missouri State, and play another home game on Saturday, Sept. 11 against Liberty. Both schools belong to the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA), and Liberty is ranked No. 16 in this week’s FCS national poll.

The next two games for Ball State will be on the road, Sept. 18 against Purdue and Sept. 25 against Iowa. Purdue handed Ohio State its only Big Ten loss this season, and Iowa was a contender for the BCS championship game before losing its past two games.

“Nobody can say we’re ducking anybody,” Ball State coach Stan Parrish said. “We’re playing two Big Ten teams back to back on the road. It’s a very good schedule, and a very fair schedule.

“If we’re a much improved football team that’s going to be a team that wants to get back in the mix in the MAC next year, like I know we do, we’re going to have to do well through those four games.”

Parrish expressed a wish this fall to perhaps move the Iowa game to another season to avoid consecutive road games against BCS opponents, but that isn’t likely to happen.

“Chances are we can’t move any games,” Ball State athletic director Tom Collins said. “You’re not going to say ‘never’ because once in a while something crazy happens.”

Collins said he would like to limit the Cardinals’ non-conference schedule to one BCS road game a year going forward.
“We’ll have to see what works best for the future,” he said.

Collins also confirmed published reports in Illinois that the Cardinals have agreed to a home-and-home series against Illinois State, an FCS opponent. Football Bowl Subdivision schools such as Ball State rarely play road games against FCS schools.

Ball State will open the 2013 season at Illinois State, and it will play host to the Redbirds to start the 2014 season. Both games are slated for the Thursday before Labor Day.

The 2011 schedule so far has two non-conference foes: at South Florida and home against Army. South Florida will play at Ball State in 2012, and the Cardinals and Army will play four more games between 2012 and 2017.

Other future non-conference opponents include Clemson on the road in 2012, and a home-and-home series against Middle Tennessee State in 2015 and 2016.

Contact sports writer Doug Zaleski at 213-5813.