Never mind that Kent State probably had a better chance of competing with Rutgers. Washington was paying more, so the trip to Seattle was booked. In 2018, when this season’s Week 1 trip to Washington was scheduled, the other option was Rutgers. It’s the haphazard way in which it has been done. The issue isn’t only the concept of scheduling a trio of Power 5 opponents. According to the contract, at least 75 percent of this amount must be used for “student-athlete facing projects.” Now, if the Golden Flashes play three buy games, at least $200,000 must go directly to the football program’s budget. Last year, when Lewis renegotiated his contract, he had language inserted that would at least guarantee his program got to use some of the money it brought in by volunteering to be bludgeoned. After going 0-3 and being outscored 108-33 in buy games, Kent State went 6-2 in regular-season MAC play. But that makes seasons like 2021 even more impressive. During that stretch, Kent State is 0-11 and has lost each game by an average of 29.2 points. In 2018, it was Illinois, Penn State and Ole Miss. In 2019, they played Arizona State, Auburn and Wisconsin. Last year, the Golden Flashes played Texas A&M, Iowa and Maryland. (So maybe also thank a tuition-paying student while you’re at it, Kent State athletes.) This is not a one-off coincidence, either. The only revenue source that provides more to Kent State’s athletic budget? Student fees. Those three games will make $5.2 million for Kent State’s athletic department ($1.8 million from Washington, $1.5 million from Oklahoma, $1.9 million from Georgia). They flew to Tulsa, practiced for a week and bussed to Norman for the game. Between the Washington and Oklahoma games, the Golden Flashes didn’t even return home. They’ll probably enter MAC play 1-3 and bruised from a meat grinder that included visits to Washington, Oklahoma and Georgia in a four-week span. 1 Georgia will be the third team the Golden Flashes will play that is currently ranked in the top 18. The Golden Flashes, who have won 10 consecutive home games and who won the MAC East Division last season, succeed in spite of their schedule. Because he’s getting his brains beat in so your athletic department can make its budget. So if you’re an athlete in another sport at Kent State, make sure to thank a football player today. The difference is that Kent State schedules three. That’s why most schools in Kent State’s place in the college football pecking order schedule one or two of these a year. For Kent State, a game such as this can provide a memorable experience for the players and a paycheck for the athletic department. If the Bulldogs don’t have the best collection of talent in America, they’re in the top two. That opponent is Georgia, which won the national title last season and might somehow be better this season. Lewis had spent the morning scouting Saturday’s opponent.
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