(01-07-2018 11:25 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(01-07-2018 11:06 AM)goodknightfl Wrote:  

(01-06-2018 06:20 AM)micahandme Wrote:  

(01-05-2018 10:24 PM)msm96wolf Wrote:  http://www.collegefootballpoll.com/bowl-schedule/

Seeing that Memphis got paid over 2 million to play Iowa State (the dregs of the P5) in a no-stakes game, I can't fathom a world where the G5 couldn't get 2 million dollars per team for a playoff...and a lot more for their semifinal and finals.

The Liberty contracted out of the other dreg that normally would have gotten the 2 mil I have no problems no seeing the G5 get 2 mil per school for playoffs.. If G4 thinks it will work, do it on your own.. leave AAC out of it.

Something tells me that the total Liberty payout of $4.8m ($2.4m per school) listed here is a mistake. I've never seen the Liberty pay out more than $1.4m per school, up to and including last year (2016-2017), or a total payout of $2.8m. But somehow the total payout increased by a whopping $2 million this past year? Makes me wonder, specially since the sponsor (Autozone) didn't change. Also, despite that apparent very large increase in $$$, the bowl's position in either the Big 12 or SEC selection hierarchy didn't change either, and finally you'd think the SEC would have preferred to give up a lesser-paying bowl if it couldn't fill all its slots rather than lose the now high-paying Liberty Bowl.

Is it possible that somehow the LB found $2m more this past year to pay out? Sure. But it smells funny.

From the site:

"Amounts shown are actual 2016-2017 (updated 12/4/17) total payouts per information available from the NCAA. Conferences have different methods by which bowl money is divided among its membership and participating teams. Some bowl agreements call for higher payouts to one conference than the other, depending on such factors as which is the "host" conference."

So the $4.8M number is for last year's Georgia vs TCU game. My guess is that the bump happened when the game went from SEC vs CUSA to SEC vs Big 12, and bad information is just being copied around the internet.

EDIT: I also really think that Silve made a bunch of phone calls sounding out the 5 bowls in that tier, and the Big 12, Big 10 and ACC, and sounding out the 4 SEC schools involved, and ESPN, and the Memphis in the Liberty Bowl was the most palatable option.

What other option was there? Send Memphis to the Belk Bowl? Tell Iowa and Delaney they're playing FAU in the Outback Bowl?

The stars lined up here for Memphis in a big bowl in their home stadium. In a different year, the stars line up differently.