Ball State coach Brady Hoke has resigned to accept the same position at San Diego State.
Ball State president Jo Ann Gora said Monday the school wanted to keep Hoke at his alma mater.
"Unfortunately, the recognition that comes with such success made coach Hoke highly attractive to other programs," Gora said in a release. "None of us wanted to see him go."
Ball State went 12-1 this season, with its only loss against Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference championship. Hoke went 34-38 in six years at the school, but he drew national attention when his team went unbeaten into December.
It is uncertain if Hoke will coach Ball State in the GMAC bowl on Jan. 6.
A spokesman for San Diego State declined comment, and Aztecs athletic director Jeff Schemmel did not return a phone call seeking to confirm the hiring.
Gora said Ball State offered Hoke a new contract that would have made him the school's highest-paid employee. She said a base compensation package of $390,000, plus $60,000 in Mid-American Conference performance incentives and up to $255,000 in Bowl Championship Series and national incentives was offered.
"Coach Hoke has had a tremendous amount of success as our head football coach," Cardinals athletic director Tom Collins said. "His offer at San Diego State is a testament to that success. We worked very hard to keep him at Ball State, while also being sensitive to the current economic environment."
CHIZIK: I'M THE 'RIGHT GUY' AT AUBURN: Gene Chizik wanted to win titles at Iowa State but instead went 5-19 in two seasons and lost 10 straight games. He knows the same results won't fly at Auburn.
Chizik said Monday he understands the expectations as he takes over at Auburn following Tommy Tuberville's departure. A former defensive coordinator under Tuberville, Chizik said there's only one way to quiet fans upset by his hiring.
"You gotta win," Chizik said during a news conference. A half-dozen or so times, Chizik confidently said he was the "right guy" for the job.
He's got some convincing to do. Many Auburn fans are wringing their hands at the prospect of a coach with a losing record going head-to-head against Alabama's Nick Saban, who just snapped Auburn's six-year winning streak in the rivalry and spent much of the season ranked No. 1.
"Nobody's expectation that is a fan of Auburn University is higher than mine," Chizik said. "That sums it up. My expectations are very high. I understand that the people of this place, including myself, they want championships. That's my expectation of myself. That's what I take with me to sleep with every night."
The results at Iowa State weren't spectacular, yet athletic director Jay Jacobs said Chizik's plan for turning around the Cyclones was part of what got him the job.
"He was on path there at Iowa State to turn that program around in a positive way," said Jacobs. He called Chizik a "tireless recruiter" with a solid plan to improve Auburn after the Tigers' 5-7 mark in Tuberville's final year, his first losing season since debuting with five wins in 1999.
PURDUE ASSISTANT WILL BE NEXT ILLINOIS ST. COACH: Purdue defensive coordinator Brock Spack will be Illinois State University's next head football coach after he was passed over for the top job with the Boilermakers.
Illinois State sports information director Todd Kober said the school will introduce Spack at a news conference on Wednesday.
Spack will take over for Denver Johnson, who resigned after Illinois State's season ended last month.