Legislation allowed it. Victory-hungry coaches jumped on it. Financial considerations supported it. And fans, like it or not, will have to live with it.

Kansas University’s football team Saturday will play Division I-AA Northwestern State, a school most recently known for a buzzer-beating victory against Iowa in last season’s NCAA basketball tournament.

But football? NSU pretty much is unknown to Jayhawk fans accustomed to reading or hearing about big schools from the superior Division I-A.

Kansas, though, isn’t alone in starting the season off with a I-AA team. Five other Big 12 Conference schools will drop down a level for competition: Missouri, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Colorado.

“I think it makes good sense, because the first game in college football is the most dangerous of the year,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “You don’t know what you have, and you don’t know what you’re playing.”

Legislation passed last year allowed I-A teams to count I-AA victories toward bowl-eligibility once a year, instead of once every four years. Kansas, and many other schools, have taken advantage. KU played Appalachian State (the eventual I-AA champion) in 2005. Next year, the Jayhawks will play Southeastern Louisiana in Lawrence.

There are several reasons why it makes sense for a I-A school to go this route. Coaches won’t admit it, but I-AA games generally are certain victories if the I-A team plays decent football. Last year, I-A teams were 50-2 against I-AA teams. Stanford and Louisiana-Monroe were the only teams that couldn’t get the job done.

Louisiana-Monroe, incidentally, lost to Northwestern State by blowing a 23-point halftime lead a year ago. Stanford blew a 17-point lead and lost to UC Davis.

Coaches in I-A will agree with a popular opinion – the best I-AA teams and the worst I-A teams aren’t all that different.

“As a graduate of Appalachian State and having coached at that level for so many years, I understand that when you’re in that upper echelon of I-AA, many fans may not have the familiarity of this level but many coaches do,” said Kansas State coach Ron Prince, whose team plays Illinois State on Saturday.

Another benefit for I-A programs is finances. I-AA teams jump on the opportunity because of payouts that often are between $200,000 and $300,000 for hitting the road and taking the licks. For I-A teams that don’t want to travel for a return game, such a price tag isn’t bad. Some payouts for I-A vs. I-A games are approaching $750,000.

Kansas, for example, will pay Louisiana-Monroe $500,000 for coming to Lawrence next week.

Northwestern State, meanwhile, will get $275,000 from Kansas, according to KU associate athletic director Larry Keating. KU then will rake in all the revenue a home game will bring – such as tickets and concessions – that a road game wouldn’t allow.

The question, then, turns to how a I-A team should prepare. With better opponents looming, it wouldn’t be wise to let all the tricks out of the bag. But winning the game is the priority, and as Stanford and Louisiana-Monroe can attest, I-AA teams never go down without a fight.

“We really haven’t even talked about this being a I-AA game or anything,” said Missouri coach Gary Pinkel, whose team plays Murray State on Saturday. “We’re talking about this being our first game and the most important game that we have. We’re going to go out and do everything we can to play our best.”