Here are a few interesting articles. I truly dislike the OOC "weenie" games, and I don't understand the logic, financial or otherwise, behind them. In these articles, even Strollo agrees that financially "it is a wash" to play Kent instead of a 1AAA club. I disagree......$315K is >> than $200K plus travel expenses to Kent, Ohio. Even if it is a wash financially, it is a win in terms of fan interest, SOS, and a modest travel expense.
Here are some excerpts from these articles:
"...Crosby said Kent would be interested in resuming its series with YSU.
“It makes a lot of sense,” he said. “Regionally, it’s a very attractive game.”
MAC schools typically host one FCS program each year — Kent played Liberty on Thursday, while Akron will play James Madison in Week 2 — and while Crosby declined to say how much they pay opposing FCS teams, Strollo said the figure is usually around $200,000."
http://www.vindy.com/news/2013/sep/01/why-doesnt-ysu-play-mac-teams/?printhttp://www.vindy.com/news/2014/sep/10/schedule-starts-with/?mobile"Kent State has also added a pair of games against another FCS opponent. The Golden Flashes will host the Kennesaw State Owls at Dix Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019 and again on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, both season-openers.
The Owls will receive guarantees of $300,000 for the 2019 game and $315,000 for the 2020 game."
http://www.fbschedules.com/2014/10/kent-state-alabama-fcs-schools-future-schedules/