I figured flights would be the most expensive bit, and I imagine the University can't do much about lodging requirements, as the team hotels typically have deals with the game itself for a certain number of rooms and nights.

The Student Senate monies are interesting, of course.  If you're accounting/auditing the Athletic Department, that would be a revenue of the game (income that wouldn't have otherwise existed), but if you're looking at the University as a whole, that amount of money from Senate obviously had to come from somewhere and would've existed with or without the bowl.

Without doing much additional research, perhaps we broke even as an Athletic Department, but lost some money as a University, given that some of the Athletic Department "revenue" constituted a movement of funds within the University?

There are too many bowls, at this point, and major collegiate athletics seem to be holding on by a tenuous string in some ways.

Monroe the cost is much greater and the revenue far less.  I am not sure what you are asking here, but the Bowl travel lasted a week and is double the size of the normal travel party, and a plane is involved (not always in regular season game) has to be larger than one used for a regular season game.  And there is NO revenue associated with regular season non-money games.

there is a big difference in the size of the plane that you are chartering for a game with a limited travel party and one with the entire roster, support staff, Athletic Suits, and families.  That difference can be 30k+

They flew a boeing 767-300 to MSY. Just the fuel operating cost of the 767 per hour is around 4700 dollars an hour. Not to mention the company had to make money sooo yea. its not cheap. A small jet would be much much cheaper.