Here's how Louisiana Tech football benefitted from scheduling Missouri in 2022

A financial opportunity led Louisiana Tech to cancel its football series with Baylor and add Missouri to the 2022 schedule, according to Bulldogs athletic director Eric Wood.

The Bulldogs were unable to play Baylor to open the 2020 season due to COVID-19. La Tech was still scheduled to play the Bears in 2022 and 2023.

Wood didn't hesitate to end the three-game series.

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"We were approached about Missouri needing a game, wanting a game," Wood told The News-Star. "There's a financial component and there's a competitive component to all of this scheduling. I'm trying to make sure we play six home games, and this gave us an opportunity to increase our finances with this other game and also get back on track to playing six home games as quickly as possible."

The contracts for both the Baylor series and the Missouri game were obtained by the News-Star.

When scheduled to play at Baylor, the only compensation was that the home team would pay travel expenses for the visitors. With the Missouri contract, Missouri will pay Louisiana Tech $500,000 for the game on Sept. 3.

Tech will also get 500 complimentary tickets for followers (including the band) and the opportunity to purchase up to 1,500 additional tickets.

Replacing Missouri with Baylor also gives new coach Sonny Cumbie an easier opponent for his debut on Sept. 3. Baylor was 12-2 last season and won the Sugar Bowl against Ole Miss 21-7 and should be top 10 team in 2022. Missouri was 6-7 in 2021 and lost 24-22 to Army in the Armed Forces Bowl.

With Baylor off the schedule, Louisiana Tech is still looking for a replacement home game for the 2023 season and it will likely be a two-game series.

"That Baylor slot would've been six home games; We want to make sure we fill that with another home game," Wood said. "We want to get back to six (home games) for 2023; it's just in losing that Baylor game we're going to start a home-and-home (contract) with somebody, starting at home that year."

This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Here's how Louisiana Tech football benefitted from scheduling Missouri in 2022