The Indiana Hoosiers and the Ball State Cardinals have scheduled a three-game football series for 2018, 2019, and 2020, the two schools announced today.
Indiana will host Ball State at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington on Sept. 15, 2018 and again on Sept. 19, 2020.
Ball State is currently in negotiations to host the 2019 game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The venue is the home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.
“We are thrilled to continue this series with Ball State,” IU Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Fred Glass said. “It’s great for the fans of both programs and playing another state school has the added benefit of our financial support remaining within the state of Indiana.”
Indiana is also scheduled to host Ball State on Sept. 10, 2016, which is the final game of a three-game series that began in 2011.
“A renewed series between Ball State and Indiana is an outstanding opportunity for the student-athletes and fan bases of both institutions,” Ball State head coach Pete Lembo said. “Our previous games in Bloomington and at Lucas Oil Stadium have been highly competitive and very well attended. These contests will bring great exposure for both teams in our home state. We greatly appreciate the willingness of the Indiana administration to work with us to make this series possible.”
Despite being separated by a distance of only 113 miles, Indiana and Ball State have only played seven times. The Hoosiers lead the overall series 4-3, but the Cardinals have won three straight, including two games in Bloomington (2008, 2012) and one at Lucas Oil Stadium (2011).
Ball State is Indiana’s first announced non-conference opponent for 2018. The Hoosiers are also slated to host UConn in 2019 and travel to face the Huskies in 2020.
Ball State now has three games scheduled in 2018 and 2019 and two in 2020. Other opponents slated for those seasons include at Notre Dame (2018), vs. WKU (2018), vs. FAU (2019), at NC State (2019), and at Michigan (2020).
Football Schedules