.... Maybe the MAC pools the money?
Yes, that's how it works. All bowl money goes to the conference. The conference then gives shares to all conference members, including schools that don't go to bowls at all. Unfortunately the amount that schools get who do go to bowls may not be enough to cover the costs, so teams that actually go to bowls often end up with a loss, while teams that don't go end up with a smaller check, but no expenses.
That's another reason for wanting NIU in the BCS. The bowl money is a lot more, and will flow to benefit the entire conference.
I know this is the way it was in years past, but I believe this to be changed in recent years. I don't think the split is even any more, and think that the conference tries to make the bowl teams whole before anyone else gets a cut. If I come across the links I will pass them along. This is to discourage bottom feeders like EMU from doing nothing and getting paid for it.
I also believe that the payouts listed are for conference contracted teams. So if a SEC vs ACC bowl opens up and the MAC team enters, a previous $500,000(or other $ amount) payout may no longer apply. I don't know if this is true for every bowl that needs a fall-back team, but it did come up in prior year(s).
ben
EDIT:
Here is an article stating Ohio received a higher amount to help offset costs of their bowl trips, and not the 1/13th share that they had gotten 4/5 years ago.
excerpt
In 2010, Ohio received a $300,000 payout from the Mid-American Conference and needed $96,000 from the fund to balance out the costs of the trip. In 2011, Ohio received a $475,000 payout from the MAC and needed just $9,722.43 from the PSOF to cover the rest of the expenses for the trip to Boise. For the Independence Bowl, Ohio received a payout of $400,000 from the MAC, and received another $23,876 in revenue from ticket sales.
Now 'shares' from hoops NCAA appearances may actually be split evenly. I'm unsure of that, but think I remember Ohio was/is still not getting 100% benefit from the Sweet 16 run.
Last Edited: 12/3/2013 8:34:47 PM by mcbin