YPSILANTI -- Eastern Michigan University's football team will no longer host a Power Five program during the 2019 season, in a move that will put $800,000 into the EMU coffers.
The Eagles' home game against Kentucky slated for Sept. 7, 2019 -- the first game of what was originally scheduled as a two-game home-and-home series -- has been moved to Lexington, Kentucky, an EMU spokesperson confirmed on Thursday.
EMU would have paid Kentucky $200,000 for the 2019 home game then received the same price from the Wildcats the following year, EMU associate athletic director for media relations Greg Steiner said.
Instead, Kentucky will pay $800,000 for the move to Lexington in 2019, according to Steiner.
The 2020 game between the two teams will also be played in Lexington.
"It all comes down to financials in a lot of ways," Steiner told MLive.
EMU's athletics budget has been in the spotlight during the past six months after the university cut four sports in an effort to combat steep budget shortfalls.
The move to drop men's swimming and diving, wrestling, women's tennis program and softball program is expected to save approximately $2.4 million.
"When you look at it, knowing the financial situation the university has gone through over the past six months or so, (athletic director) Scott Wetherbee looked at it as a way to financially help the budget," Steiner said of moving the game to Lexington. "Knowing you can make $800,000 next year would significantly help the athletics budget and the university as a whole."
The $800,000 road game participation guarantee from Kentucky would be more than half of what EMU received for the 2017 fiscal year (2016 season).
The university received $1.45 million in road game participation guarantees, according to financial figures reported to the NCAA. The Eagles, which finished 7-6 that season and reached a bowl game for the first time since 1987, hosted six games at Rynearson Stadium, including two nonconference contests against Mississippi Valley State and Wyoming.
Eastern Michigan also played at Kentucky last season, receiving $1.2 million.
The Eagles now have one scheduled nonconference home game for the 2019 season. They will begin the year with three straight road games against Coastal Carolina, Kentucky and Illinois before hosting Central Connecticut State University on Sept. 21.
Mid-American Conference games have not been announced yet for next season.