Rick Stockstill

Middle Tennessee State head coach Rick Stockstill led his team to an 8-5 record last season.

(AP/Eugene Tanner)

Syracuse, N.Y. -- Syracuse football's first home game of the season came at a cost of $390,000. Its second rings up at nearly $1 million.

Middle Tennessee State will receive $950,000 for its agreement to fly to Central New York and play the Orange in the Carrier Dome on Saturday, according to a contract obtained by The Post-Standard/Syracuse.com via a public records request.

SU cruised to a 50-7 victory over Central Connecticut State in its season opener on Friday. MTSU will present a more significant challenge. Featuring a quarterback with NFL potential in Brent Stockstill and a defensive coordinator with extra motivation in Scott Shafer, the Blue Raiders are an intriguing opponent.

After going 8-5 last season, including a win over Missouri, Middle Tennessee State opened its 2017 season with a 28-6 loss to Vanderbilt. The Blue Raiders struggled to protect Stockstill, who was sacked five times, and didn't force a turnover against the Commodores.

SU and MTSU kick off at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Stephen Bailey covers Syracuse football for The Post-Standard/Syracuse.com. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can also be reached anytime via email or phone (315-427-2168).