Terry Mohajir's hands are each filled with opportunity for Arkansas State.
In one hand, the ASU athletic director holds a contract signed 18 months ago that will bring a standing member of the SEC to Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro for the first time in more than a decade and just the second time ever. In the other, Mohajir holds an offer that comes with it a substantial financial reward that could be used for ASU's ongoing facility upgrades.
"That's the whole issue," Mohajir said. "We have a strong vision for building facilities and increasing our budget, and my job is to look at every option and generate new revenues."
Mohajir and ASU announced in January 2013 that ASU and Missouri of the SEC had reached a home-and-home deal for a football series. ASU visited Missouri last season, losing 41-19. Missouri is scheduled to play in Jonesboro on Sept. 12, 2015, which would be the first time an SEC member has played at ASU since it hosted Ole Miss in 2001.
Because of the St. Louis Cardinals and the St. Louis Sports Commission, though, Missouri might not make it to Jonesboro.
Sparked with a desire to bring Missouri to St. Louis for the first time since a once-annual series with Illinois ended in 2010 and the proximity of ASU to the region, the Sports Commission has offered ASU a lofty sum to move their home game to the Cardinals' Busch Stadium.
How much is being offered isn't exactly clear. Mohajir said he has signed a confidentiality agreement regarding the contract terms, but said the offer from St. Louis is more than the record $1.3 million ASU is getting to play at Southern Cal to open the 2015 season. Mohajir said the Kansas City Chiefs offered ASU more than St. Louis to play the game at Arrowhead Stadium, but he eliminated that option because of driving distance and airline costs for fans.
"These are guarantees," Mohajir said. "Whether one person shows up or no people show up, you generate revenue."
Mohajir said he has no timetable on when he'll decide, and St. Louis Sports Commission President Frank Viverito said they're willing to wait as long as they need to.
"The sooner we get going the better, but we are perfectly happy to work on Terry's timeframe," Viverito said. "There's no other game we're pursuing for next season."
Bryan Maggard, Missouri's executive associate athletic director, told the Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune last month that Missouri is on board, too.
"We'd certainly support it," Maggard said. "But that's not our decision."
That leaves the decision to Mohajir, who is weighing the benefits of a substantial payout against a rare on-campus attraction.
ASU broke ground this spring on an indoor facility north of Centennial Bank Stadium, and there are also plans for a football operations center that will fit snugly behind the north end zone stands. Those projects will cost an estimated $28 million. ASU is also finalizing plans for a west-side renovation, one that will include a new press box and more premium seating areas.
Fundraising for all projects is ongoing, which makes the St. Louis paycheck attractive. Mohajir said he would prefer the game to stay at Centennial Bank Stadium, saying "we're going to do everything we can to keep it in Jonesboro."
"People need to buy season tickets, people need to be corporate sponsors, people need to donate dollars to our Red Wolf Foundation,"Mohajir said. "We need to generate revenue. We need to figure out a way to make up for the revenue that will be lost as a result."
Mohajir said he has spoken with Jonesboro Mayor Harold Perrin about using city funds to make up for the lost revenue, which would come from the city's Advertising and Promotions Commission, but the discussions haven't gained much traction. Perrin didn't return a call to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, but he told the Jonesboro Sun that "we'd have to see what kind of benefit it would be for the city."
Another issue is the importance of the nonconference game. Starting this season, the highest ranked team from the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, Mountain West and Sun Belt Conference will earn a spot in one of the contracted bowls attached to the College Football Playoff, a coveted spot that a school could gain if a victory over an SEC school is on its resume. ASU is a member of the Sun Belt.
Would moving the game to St. Louis, a two-hour drive east from Missouri's Columbia campus, make it more difficult for ASU to win that game? Mohajir said he's not convinced that it does, citing Georgia Southern's victory at Florida last year and Louisiana-Monroe's victory over Arkansas in Little Rock in 2012.
"Where you play them doesn't matter. Beating them is what matters," Mohajir said. "Sometimes if you can beat them at their home or at a neutral site, it actually looks better. Youv'e got to beat them. Regardless of where you play them."
Sports on 07/01/2014