BYU football schedules: Contract details for Michigan State series obtained

Via an open records request, Vanquish The Foe has obtained the official contract for the upcoming home and home series with the Michigan State Spartans of the Big Ten. BYU is currently scheduled to travel to East Lansing on October 16, 2016, while the Spartans are slated to make a return trip to Provo on September 20, 2020.

Much of the language in the contact is rather boilerplate and typical for a matchup of this caliber, but there are a few notes that may be of interest to BYU fans.

First, for both games, the home team will pay a $350,000 guarantee to the visitor, which will be paid on or before February 15 of the year following the game (so 2017 for BYU). Based on the contracts I have seen of other Power 5 conferences, that's at least market rate.

Second, the visiting team will have the option of purchasing 3,600 tickets for the event. Each team will be given 400 complementary tickets. I suspect that BYU shouldn't have too much trouble selling out their allotment of tickets.

Third, and perhaps most interesting to BYU fans, is this passage concerning the buyout of the game:

Note that this buyout specifically mentions Power 5 conferences, not any conference, so should BYU (hypothetically) join The American, or go back to the Mountain West, they will still be stuck with a million dollar bill if cancelling games in that situation. I suspect that any future home-and-home schedule with games past 2016 will contain a similar provision. You know, just in case.

Finally, for the 2020 game in Provo, Big Ten officials will be in officiating the game. As somebody who watches an awful lot of Big Ten football, I'm sure you guys will be able to find something to complain about.