# 2020 Ball State Cardinals football team

The 2020 Ball State Cardinals football team represented Ball State University during the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cardinals were led by fifth-year head coach Mike Neu and played their home games at Scheumann Stadium in Muncie, Indiana. They competed as members of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference.
In a season impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cardinals played to a 5–1 record in a limited regular-season schedule. The team then defeated Buffalo in the conference championship game. The season ended with a victory over San Jose State in the Arizona Bowl for the first bowl game victory in program history.

## Schedule

Ball State had games scheduled against Indiana, Maine, and Michigan, which were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On July 28, it was announced that Ball State had added Iowa State to the schedule. Soon after, the MAC decided to cancel its season, followed by the same announcements from the Big Ten Conference, Pac-12 Conference, and Mountain West Conference.
On September 25, the Mid-American Conference changed course, playing a six-week scheduled football season starting the week of November 4.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 4 | 7:00 p.m. | at Miami | Yager StadiumOxford, OH (Red Bird Rivalry) | CBSSN | L 31–38 | 0 |
| November 11 | 7:00 p.m. | Eastern Michigan | Scheumann StadiumMuncie, IN | CBSSN | W 38–31 | 1,183 |
| November 18 | 7:00 p.m. | Northern Illinois | Scheumann StadiumMuncie, IN (Bronze Stalk Trophy) | ESPNews | W 31–25 | 0 |
| November 28 | 12:00 p.m. | at Toledo | Glass BowlToledo, OH | ESPN3 | W 27–24 | 0 |
| December 5 | 5:30 p.m. | at Central Michigan | Kelly/Shorts StadiumMount Pleasant, MI | ESPNU | W 45–20 | N/A* |
| December 12 | 12:00 p.m. | Western Michigan | Scheumann StadiumMuncie, IN | ESPN+ | W 30–27 | 823 |
| December 18 | 7:30 p.m. | vs. Buffalo | Ford FieldDetroit, MI (MAC Championship Game) | ESPN | W 38–28 | 0 |
| December 31 | 2:00 p.m. | vs. No. 22 San Jose State* | Arizona StadiumTucson, AZ (Arizona Bowl) | CBS | W 34–13 | 0 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 24 released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||
    Schedule Source:

## Game summaries
### Miami

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
| • RedHawks | 0 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 38 |

### Eastern Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 14 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 31 |
| • Cardinals | 7 | 6 | 8 | 17 | 38 |

### Northern Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Huskies | 7 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 25 |
| • Cardinals | 0 | 14 | 6 | 11 | 31 |

### Toledo

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Cardinals | 14 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
| Rockets | 0 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 24 |

### Central Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Cardinals | 10 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 45 |
| Chippewas | 0 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 20 |

### Western Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 3 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 27 |
| • Cardinals | 6 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 30 |

### Buffalo (MAC Championship Game)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Cardinals | 7 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 38 |
| Bulls | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 28 |

### San Jose State (Arizona Bowl)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Cardinals | 27 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 34 |
| No. 22 Spartans | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 13 |