09-02-2010

The Kansas State football team will open the 2011 season with nonconference home games against Eastern Kentucky and Kent State, then travel to Miami, Fla., before starting Big 12 play.

K-State athletic director John Currie said Thursday afternoon that both Eastern Kentucky and Kent State will receive money for playing the games without a return visit to their stadiums. He said Eastern Kentucky, a Division I-AA team, will receive $375,000. Kent State, out of the Mid-American Conference, will receive a larger check, but did not specify the amount.

The Miami game is the first of a two-game home-and-home series.

The Wildcats’ nonconference schedule will consist of three games instead of the four it will play this season because the Big 12 will switch to a nine-game conference schedule in 2011 with the departure of Nebraska to the Big Ten. Colorado is also set to leave the Big 12 for the Pac-10, but The Star reported last month that the Buffaloes are expected to stay in the Big 12 until after the 2011-12 school year.

“Whether we have an 11-team league next year or a 10-team league next year remains to be seen,” Currie said. “But we’re going to have nine conference games. That’s what we’re anticipating.”

The Big 12 has used an eight-game football schedule. The addition of an extra matchup has made planning future schedules difficult for Currie. His desire is to play seven home games every season, and with the Wildcats playing host to four conference games in certain years and five in others, he is being careful about adding nonconference road games.

He cancelled a previously scheduled home-and-home series with Oregon for that reason, and may do the same with future opponent Virginia Tech.

“I’m not sure that that one is going to make sense for us, because of all the uncertainty about (conference scheduling),” Currie said. “It’s quite possible that we won’t play that series, or we’ll play it in a different format.”

K-State is also set to play host to Auburn in 2014, and has a future three-game series with Texas-San Antonio.