ASU Flips Through Schedule

Arkansas State’s 2009 schedule can be divided into three separate seasons.

There are the annual two guarantee road games against college football powerhouses, this year at Nebraska and Iowa, that fill ASU’s athletic coffers with much needed income. Like most mid-major teams, ASU is expected to play the role of hapless visitor taking a check and a beating, though Texas A&M found out last year in an 18-14 opening game shocker that ASU plays for keeps on the scoreboard as well as for the money.

Those two tough road games against BCS powers grew to three during this offseason, though, with the addition of Louisville to the slate. The Big East Cardinals will return the game in Jonesboro next season.

Then, there are the handful of small fries that A-State lines up for its hoped-for guaranteed wins, starting with the Sept. 5 opener against weak Mississippi Valley State of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

That leaves what will be the most important games on the schedule – those in the Sun Belt Conference. And, after finishing last season on the road at Troy with the conference title and guaranteed bowl bid on the line, only to get whipped, ASU this season will square off with its Sun Belt rival on Sept. 26 in Jonesboro, sandwiching an open date with a Sept. 12 trip to Big 12 Nebraska. The trip to Big Ten Iowa follows on Oct. 3.

Everything about ASU’s season doesn’t hinge on that early game with Troy, but the winner is sure to come away with momentum that might help drive it to the league title.