The Wiz of Odds

BBVA Compass Bowl

The Wiz of Odds is conducting a comprehensive study of bowl game expense reports. All of the data collected — expense reports for 56 teams and bowl surveys for 40 teams — are being posted on the site. Here is the latest installment. For an overview of the project, click here.

The BBVA Compass Bowl, played in Birmingham, Ala., is one of seven bowls owned and operated by ESPN. The first game was played in 2006.

2011 participants: Kentucky and Pittsburgh.

Kentucky expenses: The school reported 5,540 absorbed tickets at a cost of $276,740. Expenses for awards were listed at $81,600. Other expenses are listed on page 3 of the pdf. Total reported expenses were $1.25 million. Download Kentucky Expenses

Survey: Although he rated the overall bowl experience as "excellent," Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart had some complaints.

He expressed displeasure over two social functions for the team.

"The number limits (due to capacities of the bowling and comedy club venues) creates difficult decisions for each school," he wrote.  "More people than can fit wanted to go to these two events, which caused problems."

When asked what the bowl can do to improve the experience, he wrote: "There were many requirements for the Head Coaches on the day before the game. The Children's Hospital should be on another day. The Pep Rally should not be required for players or the head coach. The bands and cheerleaders are plenty for that event. The gameshow-type event at the Comedy Night was nearly a disaster."

Regarding gifts, he wrote that the "bowl watch was a bit expensive as compared to our previous experiences." Download Kentucky Survey

Pittsburgh: The school declined to offer its expense report or bowl survey to The Wiz of Odds.

Fiesta Bowl

The Wiz of Odds is conducting a comprehensive study of bowl game expense reports. All of the data collected — expense reports for 56 teams and bowl surveys for 40 teams — are being posted on the site. Here is the latest installment. For an overview of the project, click here.

The Fiesta Bowl, a nonprofit organization based in Scottsdale, Ariz., operates the Fiesta and Insight Bowls. The first Fiesta Bowl was played in 1971.

2011 participants: Connecticut and Oklahoma.

Connecticut expenses: Total expenses were a reported $4.28 million with the biggest chunk ($2.92 million or 68.3 percent) resulting from 14,729 absorbed tickets, which were priced from $105 to $255. No small details were overlooked. The team reported spending $4,847 on band facility rental, bag tags and lanyards or cords that hold credentials. Download Connecticut Expenses

Survey: Despite getting fleeced on tickets, athletic director Jeffrey Hathaway indicated he was "very satisfied" with the location of seats for Connecticut fans — all 2,771 who purchased tickets through the school. He was "neutral" on the number of tickets the bowl required be purchased, and the cost.

"Ticket locations provided to team were outstanding and fans enjoyed the seat locations in the stadium," Hathaway wrote. "Great sightlines from all seats. Bowl might consider increasing number of its more affordable end zone seats as a way to appeal to a broader number of fans and/or students. We recognize the total ticket commitment associated with this BCS bowl game, but selling 17,500 tickets is a challenge for a school from the east whose fans incur more significant travel expenses."

Hathaway, who rated the overall bowl experience as "excellent (exceeded expectations)," wasn't completely happy with the watches given to players as gifts.

"Gift suite [a location where companies give products to players] for student-athletes was outstanding and awards were varied," he wrote. "We received some comments about the bowl watch, which did not contain a bowl logo on its face. Some enjoyed it, but others said that without a bowl logo, it lost some of its commemorative appeal." Download Connecticut Survey

Oklahoma expenses: The NCAA asks teams to report all absorbed ticket costs when tallying up total expenses, but the Sooners did not account for 10,403 tickets that were absorbed by the Big 12. That added $1.88 million, bringing total expenses to $3.73 million. Absorbed tickets accounted for 59.4 percent of Oklahoma's expenses. Download Oklahoma Expenses

Survey: Athletic director Joe Castiglione gave the cost of tickets a "neutral" rating.

"We understand that ticket prices are a major component of the payouts, but this year's prices combined with the overall economy made it extremely difficult for many of our fans to attend," he wrote.

Despite Oklahoma having reported spending $3.73 million on the trip, Castiglione rated the bowl as "excellent (exceeded expectations)."

"The Fiesta Bowl was a great experience across-the-board for our student-athletes." Download Oklahoma Survey

Liberty Bowl

The Wiz of Odds is conducting a comprehensive study of bowl game expense reports. All of the data collected — expense reports for 56 teams and bowl surveys for 40 teams — are being posted on the site. Here is the latest installment. For an overview of the project, click here.

The Liberty Bowl, played in Memphis, Tenn., is registered as a nonprofit but run by a management company headed by Steve Ehrhart, the executive director of the bowl. The first game was played in 1959.

2010 participants: Georgia and Central Florida.

Georgia expenses: Fans were not enthused about making the trip to Memphis to watch a 6-6 team play in the Liberty. The Bulldogs sold only 3,244 tickets and had to absorb 6,756 at a cost of $337,800. Total claimed expenses: $1.44 million. Under other expenses, the school listed NCAA incidentials ($20,160), supplement and benefits ($204,296) and stadium suites ($27,000) for a total of $251,456. The school reported to the NCAA an expense allowance of only $90,400 from the Southeastern Conference. A Georgia official later told The Wiz of Odds that the allowance was $925,000.

Georgia did not complete a bowl survey. Download Georgia Expenses

Central Florida expenses: The school reported total expenses of $1.68 million. The biggest expense ($858,700 or 51 percent of total expenses) came from 16,277 absorbed tickets. No school in The Wiz of Odds’ study absorbed more tickets. UCF reported selling only 3,723 tickets. Page 3 of the pdf is a detailed breakdown of expenses that UCF mistakenly dated Feb. 21, 2010.

The Wiz of Odds did not receive a bowl survey from UCF. Download Central Florida Expenses

Capital One Bowl

The Wiz of Odds is conducting a comprehensive study of bowl game expense reports. All of the data collected — expense reports for 56 teams and bowl surveys for 40 teams — are being posted on the site. Here is the latest installment. For an overview of the project, click here.

The Capital One Bowl, held in Orlando, is operated as a nonprofit by Florida Citrus Sports Events, Inc. The game's origin dates to 1947 when it was known as the Tangerine Bowl. It has undergone several name changes since 1983, with Capital One being added to the title in 2001.

2011 participants: Michigan State and Alabama.

Michigan State expenses: The school reported 1,877 absorbed tickets at a cost of $150,900 and total expenses of $1.62 million. Michigan State was one of the few schools to include bonuses [did not specify who received the bonuses] totaling $328,736 on its report. Download Michigan State Expenses

Survey: Athletic director Mark Hollis, whose team absorbed a 49-7 pounding, answered either "satisfied" or "very satisfied" to every question but one — his overall impression of the bowl. For that, he answered "excellent (exceeded expectations)."

"Communication with bowl staff was excellent," Hollis wrote. "Questions were answered quickly and the few problems or requests we made were dealt with in a timely manner. New field in stadium was outstanding."

Hollis' satisfaction with the field came after bowl officials were embarrassed by mud bowl conditions in the 2010 game between Penn State and Louisiana State. Download Michigan State Survey

Alabama expenses: The Crimson Tide reported 2,062 absorbed tickets totaling $167,220. Total expenses were an off-the-chart $2.91 million, but a closer inspection reveals that the school included bonuses [did not specify who received the bonuses] of $1.1 million on the report. Alabama's travel party of 815 was high among the 56 reports obtained by The Wiz of Odds. Administrative costs of $263,194 were higher than norm. The school reported an expense allowance of only $113,600 from the Southeastern Conference. An Alabama official later told The Wiz of Odds that the allowance was $1.2 million. Download Alabama Expenses

Survey: (This section updated.) Athletic director Mal Moore was not a fan of the team's practice facility at Orlando's Dr. Phillips High.

"The condition of the game site field and locker room was excellent, however the practice site field and locker room need improvement," he wrote.

Matt Repchak, assistant director of communications for Florida Citrus Sports, told The Wiz of Odds on Thursday that Florida Citrus paid for improvements to the practice facility and that Alabama, which was recruiting defensive back Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix and running back Demetrius Hart from Dr. Phillips, did not incur any expenses. The players signed with the school in February.

Moore praised the work of the bowl throughout, but when asked what areas needed improvement, he reiterated, "Practice field as well as practice site locker room." Download Alabama Survey

Champs Sports Bowl

The Wiz of Odds is conducting a comprehensive study of bowl game expense reports. All of the data collected — expense reports for 56 teams and bowl surveys for 40 teams — are being posted on the site. Here is the latest installment. For an overview of the project, click here.

The Orlando-based Champs Sports Bowl is operated by the nonprofit Florida Citrus Sports Events, Inc. The first game was played in 1990.

2010 participants: North Carolina State and West Virginia.

North Carolina State expenses: The Wolfpack reported only 247 absorbed tickets at a cost of $4,014. Total reported expenses were $1.09 million. Under other expenses, the school listed items such as open practice ($4,524), staff overtime ($11,473), bonuses ($319,096), booster allowance ($15,000) and comp tickets ($126,674) for a total of $476,767. Download North Carolina State Expenses

North Carolina State did not fill out a bowl survey.

West Virginia expenses: The Mountaineers reported selling only 4,700 of their 12,500-ticket allotment. That resulted in absorbed ticket costs of $507,000, which was 37.9 percent of total reported expenses of $1.33 million. Download West Virginia Expenses

West Virginia did not complete a bowl survey.

New Mexico Bowl

The Wiz of Odds is conducting a comprehensive study of bowl game expense reports. All of the data collected — expense reports for 56 teams and bowl surveys for 40 teams — are being posted on the site. Here is the latest installment. For an overview of the project, click here.

The New Mexico Bowl, played in Albuquerque, is one of seven bowl games that is owned and operated by ESPN. The first game was played in 2006.

2010 participants: Texas El Paso and Brigham Young.

Texas El Paso expenses: The school filed expenses of $199,716 with the NCAA and provided an updated expense report (page 3 of pdf) to The Wiz of Odds totaling $355,812.49. The Miners listed $5,170 in other expenses, including gasoline, lanundry [sic] and field heaters. The school did not report any tickets absorbed to the NCAA. Download Texas El Paso Expenses

Survey: Athletic director Robert Stull gave the ticket commitment for participating teams a "neutral" rating.

When asked what areas needed improvement, Stull wrote: "Maybe check the electronics a little more closely. Microphone for singer was not working, but the fans sang instead which was actually great." Download Texas El Paso Survey

Brigham Young: The private school declined to offer its expense report or bowl survey to The Wiz of Odds.