I am a big fan of ESPN Insider. In today’s “Road to the BCS” they posted the following info:
The big change for Notre Dame is that it will no longer receive a revenue share equal to an automatic conference berth (about $15 million) whenever it plays in a BCS game.
Instead, when the Irish earn an at-large berth, they will get the amount designated for an at-large appearance (about $4.5 million) — typically given to a conference for getting a second team into the BCS. As part of this new arrangement, however, Notre Dame will be guaranteed a major-conference team share (about $1.3M) in years when it doesn’t play in a major bowl. If the Irish reach a non-BCS bowl, they will also receive the full payout for that game.
Here’s an example of how it would work.
Clearly, the new agreement is a financial step backward if Notre Dame becomes a regular in BCS games, but if the Irish make it once every four or five years, the difference is negligible. If ND goes through a dry spell, as it did in the previous four years, this arrangement works out better for the university. And with a guaranteed payout of at least $1.3 million each year, budgeting for the athletic department becomes much easier than it has been under the “feast or famine” model.
By all accounts, Notre Dame didn’t put up much resistance to this new plan at the bargaining table. The school is a partner with the conferences in the BCS, and everyone involved needed to do what was best for college football. And in the end, what’s good for college football is usually better for all programs in the long run.
