Money to be exchanged between Rockets, Hurricanes will be even split

When the San Diego State football team travels to Ann Arbor next year to face the University of Michigan, the Aztecs will receive a check for slightly more than $1 million.

Large-sum, guaranteed payouts have become the norm when non-BCS programs visit big-name, out-of-conference opponents, but that will not be the case when the University of Toledo faces the Miami Hurricanes in 2016 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

The Hurricanes will pay the Rockets a guaranteed amount of $300,000, a year after UT pays Miami a $300,000 guarantee when the Hurricanes visit the Glass Bowl in 2015, according to a contract between the two schools that The Blade obtained Wednesday following a public records request.

"We're basically exchanging checks," UT athletic director Mike O'Brien said. "It's a true home-and-home [series]."

What the Rockets are losing in guaranteed money during their visit to a BCS stadium, they are gaining in publicity for their program by having a nationally recognized team like Miami play at their home field - a rarity for Mid-American Conference schools.

When UT entered into a home-and-home series with Ohio State, the Rockets' "home" game actually was played at Cleveland Browns Stadium last season.

There have been a number of BCS programs to visit the Glass Bowl in recent years, such as Colorado, Pittsburgh, and Purdue, but the matchup with Miami is sure to become the highest-profile home game in UT's history.

"This is so great for the University of Toledo," O'Brien said. "The Hurricanes have a great tradition, so this is a very special game for our program."