Three non-conference opponents (all games that BSU was significantly shorthanded): 157 Ball State in those three games: 3 Oddly enough, in the MAC opener against BG that fell in between the first two games, BSU damn near won the game and would have if DE Cortlan Booker had not dropped a pass that Jacobs threw right at him. BSU ended up losing 40-31. This year though they start with 4 out of 5 at home, which has to be the first time in team history. (Only Purdue is on the road in that span.) If the Cards can upset IU in Muncie on Sept. 9th, there's no reason they can't be 5-1 after the first 6 (their 6th game is against Buffalo, ranked the worst team in the country by at least one system in preseason), which would be huge.