The CMU football team’s 2009 schedule will include its first trip to Michigan State in five seasons.

Athletics Director Dave Heeke said next season’s nonconference schedule is set, starting with road trips to Arizona (Sept. 5) and Michigan State (Sept. 12).

“The Michigan State game has been scheduled for some time,” Heeke said. “The Arizona deal came together over the last several months in trying to find another (Bowl Championship Series) opponent.”

The Spartans beat CMU 24-7 on Sept. 11, 2004, the last time the two teams met. But the series is most remembered for Central’s back-to-back wins under coach Herb Deromedi, when it won 20-3 in 1991 and 24-20 in 1992. MSU won the last four games since.

The Chippewas also will travel to Boston College on Oct. 31 as part of a home-and-home package that started with BC’s 31-24 win at Kelly/Shorts Stadium in 2006.

The team will earn $1,420,000 from the three games – $720,000 from Arizona, $450,000 from MSU and $250,000 from Boston College, Heeke said. It made $1,250,000 from its trips to Georgia, Purdue and Indiana this season.

CMU’s home opener is against Alcorn State of the Football Championship Subdivision on Sept. 19. Its coach, Ernest Jones, is a former CMU running backs coach under Brian Kelly from 2005-06.

In addition, George Ross, CMU’s former vice president of finance, now serves as university president at ASU.

“That’s a neat opportunity – it’ll be a homecoming of sorts for them,” Heeke said.

Central will pay Alcorn State $300,000 for the game.

2010 AND BEYOND

Kelly/Shorts Stadium also will host six games in 2010, Heeke said, including Indiana, an FCS team and four MAC opponents.

It would be the first year since 2003 the team had more than five home games. Heeke said from there, he hopes a pattern starts, with six home games every other year.

“We’ve just recently contracted a home-and-home with the Naval Academy,” he said. “So in 2012, we’ll have six home games, with Navy coming in here. … We’ll have Navy on the road in 2010, along with Virginia Tech.”

The Chippewas have road trips to Kentucky and Indiana tentatively set for 2011, plus another home game with a FCS school.

sports@cm-life.com

E-mail the author: Brian Manzullo