It’s easy for college football fans to overlook the MAC, especially a program like the Ball State Cardinals. Granted, it’s usually possible to find cheap Ball State football tickets. But the Cardinals are far from a lost cause. They’ve shown plenty of promise in the past, especially during the early part of the 21st century. The Cardinals are becoming a program to watch closely, which means now is the perfect time to get great deals on last-minute Ball State football tickets.

Come A Long Way

Most football programs haven’t had to make the long journey that Ball State has in its football history. Until 1957, the Cardinals were still competing at the junior college level. It then took until 1975 for Ball State to upgrade to the FCS level. Of course, the Cardinals experienced immediate success, winning MAC championships in 1976 and 1978. Ball State had another good run in the mid-90s, winning conference titles in 1993 and 1996. There was another uptick in the 21st century with the Cardinals playing in four bowl games between 2007 and 2013, quietly asserting themselves as a solid MAC program

A Neu Era

In 2016, Ball State turned to a former player to take their football program to the next level. Mike Neu was BSU’s starting quarterback for four years, ultimately leading the Cardinals to the MAC championship during his senior season in 1993. That pedigree made him the perfect choice to turn things around after a few rough seasons. Neu and the Cardinals took a few steps backward early in his tenure. However, there’s little doubt that Neu has Ball State trending in the right direction, making it just a matter of time until they are competing for MAC championships on a yearly basis.