RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The Arizona State Sun Devils open the 2026 college football season with a non-conference game against the Morgan State Bears at 7 p.m. on Sept. 5 at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe.
The football programs have never played against each other.
Morgan State is a historically black college or university (HBCU) that competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Bears play home games in a 10,000-seat facility in Baltimore.
The Sun Devils are favored to win by more than 40 points.
ASU will pay Morgan State $600,000 to play in the game, according to a contract between the schools obtained by The Arizona Republic through a public records request.
It’s a significant source of revenue for MSU athletics, which reported $13.76 million in total revenue last season, with $10.57 million coming from student fees, according to public records compiled in the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics database.
Morgan State is responsible for defraying its own costs to play in the game, including but not limited to transportation, meals and lodging.
MSU also had the option to buy up to 2,150 tickets at face value and to request up to 350 complimentary tickets. The school’s cheerleaders, mascots and band members will be admitted free of charge.
The contract was signed in May 2025 by ASU athletics director Graham Rossini and MSU's David LaChina, the executive vice president for finance and administration.
Morgan State had a 4-8 record last season.
The Sun Devils went 8-5 overall and 6-3 in the Big 12, finishing sixth in the conference.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How much did Arizona State pay to face Morgan State in college football?
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