BOZEMAN — Stephen F. Austin’s decision to cancel its football series with Montana State could have negative repercussions for the Bobcats.
MSU and SFA had a two-year agreement signed in 2019, with MSU set to host SFA on Sept. 14 of this year and the Lumberjacks to host the Bobcats on Sept. 13, 2025. SFA canceled the series last month and had to pay MSU $150,000 as a result, according to the game contract obtained by 406 MT Sports.
MSU replaced the Sept. 14 SFA matchup with a home game against Mercyhurst on Sept. 21, while the week of the previously scheduled 2025 game at SFA remains open. MSU will pay Mercyhurst $275,000, per the game contract. If either team cancels or fails to show up to the game, that school will be required to give $200,000 to the other, “unless such cancellation is made by mutual consent in writing,” the contract states.
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The $125,000 difference between the Mercyhurst guarantee and the SFA reimbursement will shrink if MSU doesn’t schedule a new opponent for Sept. 13, 2025, considering the travel expenses that would’ve been required for MSU to play SFA in Nacogdoches, Texas. The Cats could also save money if they schedule a lucrative guarantee game on the road that day, while they’d probably need to write another six-figure check if they end up with a home game. MSU is currently looking for an opponent to play that week and give the football team 12 games that season as originally planned, per MSU athletic director Leon Costello.
“I don’t think having an open date and only having 11 games is a good option for us,” Costello said.
SFA announced its move from the United Athletic Conference to the Southland Conference shortly after it canceled the MSU series. The Lumberjacks are now scheduled to play at McNeese State on Sept. 14 for their Southland opener, and they’ll host Northern Colorado the following week. That home-and-home series with UNC, which competes in the Big Sky Conference with MSU, was agreed to in December.
SFA’s 2025 schedule has yet to be unveiled, and the athletic department has not responded to requests for comment.
Stephen F. Austin coach Colby Carthel yells after a touchdown during a game against Texas Tech on Sept. 11, 2021, in Lubbock, Texas.
“The situation we found ourselves in with Stephen F. Austin has prompted us moving forward in all our contracts to look at buyout language,” Costello said, “and more likely than not making sure those (buyouts) are increased to protect ourselves and the schedule.”
One of the ways MSU could try to prevent another opponent from doing what SFA just did is adding extra penalties for cancellations that happen with less than a year’s notice, Costello said.
MSU, Mercyhurst, and SFA all play in the Football Championship Subdivision (the second-highest level of college football). Mercyhurst, located in Pennsylvania, is about to begin its first season in NCAA Division I.
The SFA agreement was similar to the one MSU signed with South Dakota State in 2021. SDSU paid MSU $100,000 for the game in Brookings, South Dakota, last September, and the Cats will pay the two-time defending FCS champions the same amount when the Jackrabbits come to Bobcat Stadium on Sept. 6, 2025. SDSU would have to reimburse MSU $150,000 if it cancels next year’s matchup (unless the cancellation is due to “Force Majeure,” which includes adverse weather and widespread illness).
The Cats will open the 2024 season at New Mexico on Aug. 24 and they’ll receive $360,000 from the Lobos, who compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (the highest level of college football). The cancellation fee for both programs is also $360,000.
MSU will pay fellow FCS program Maine $250,000 for the 2024 Gold Rush game on Sept. 7 (Maine will reimburse MSU $200,000 if it cancels). The Cats also paid Stetson, another FCS team, $250,000 for their game in Bozeman last September.
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