Indiana football lost money playing in Gator Bowl against Tennessee
The Indiana Hoosiers lost more than just a football game by traveling to Jacksonville, Florida to play the Tennessee Volunteers. Hoosier Sports Report recently crunched the numbers on IU’s bowl payout and expenses and found that the Indiana football team came out roughly $44,000 in the hole.
According to the report, the Hoosiers received a $2.125 million payout from the Big Ten for playing in the Gator Bowl. Athletic departent expenses, including travel, meals, hotels and bowl apparel for players, staff and band members came to $2,169,416, leaving IU $44,416 in the red, adding insult to the injury of a 23-22 loss.
A financial loss of playing in a bowl game is obviously easier to swallow for teams that come away with a program-boosting win. The Hoosiers were close to doing just that, up 22-9 in the fourth quarter before Tennessee rallied for two quick touchdowns and take a 23-22 lead which the Vols held onto for the remaining 3:51.
Jon Blau of Hoosier Sports Report doesn’t see the experience as a total loss for Indiana football:
Essentially, it cost IU about $44,000 for its football program to play in a nationally televised bowl game against a SEC program. That’s a valuable opportunity.
A detailed breakdown of IU’s expenses for the Gator Bowl trip can be found in the full article here.
Teams often seem to have losses in the cost of a bowl, but like the Hoosier Sports Report said, what price do you put on the exposure, extra practice time and the status of being a bowl team? I would venture to say even knowing the financial loss, IU would play again.
Hoosier Daddy?
LOL
I got paid, thats all I know
“Hoosier Daddy”! Now that was a goodern there!!
Compared to the $950K y’all paid Georgia State to whip your rears, the $44K Indiana lost to almost beat y’all is nothing g.
Was just bout to say that.
That was 44k well spent by Indiana compared to the mill we paid GAST.
We will never forget that and we never should. That was an expensive lesson learned
LOL
You wanna talk about paying smaller schools to beat you?
Get in line, pal.
All my family lives in Georgia and I never will ever hear the end of it.
It’ll fade over time…
Like the 1986 loss at home to Army.
Like the 1975 loss at home to North Texas State.
Like the 1958 loss at home to UT-Chattanooga…
Anti-Tennessee trash talkers don’t really bring up those terrible losses these days, and so it will be with GA State eventually.
Yes, but at least TN never lost to a team that didn’t give a bowl game. UGA losing to SC to me just seems worse. BYU and GA ST aren’t bad teams. GA ST actually had a better offense, especially at QB than UGA. Not having a more dynamic scheme showed how even Vandy can put up better numbers against LSU while UGA…well. We can take our lumps and learn with what we had to play with on the field. UGA had all this talent and was at the bottom of the league in points per game.
Indiana has football?
No ill say it like it is!!! Jaime Newman was a 3 star who was an overachiever. He has gotten better. But talent isn’t even close to JT Daniels. JT Daniels is not just a little more polished in the passing game. JT DANIELS IS A THOUSAND TIMES BETTER THROUGH THE AIR!!!! NIGHT AND DAY, NOT EVEN CLOSE!!!
And yes I do believe Jaime Newman could have won the H TROPHY with UGA!!! And maybe still can!!! We don’t know who will start yet.
BUT TO ALL THESE NON UGA FANS. JAIME NEWMAN WASN’T PROMISED A THING!!! He transferred here knowing that he would have to battle for the job. Carson Beck and D’wan Mathis are both two very talented QBs!!! There was no guarantee that Newman beats out either of those guys!!! Nobody promised Newman anything!!!! SO NO HE IS NOT GETTING A RAW DEAL!!!!
I know all these Florida fans are on here. Hoping that somehow via some rule. That they can get Newman to transfer to Florida. They know that he is perfect for Mullen’s high school system!!! But personally I don’t think it would happen even if he could. But if it did I wouldn’t cry. JT DANIELS IS AS TALENTED AS ANY QB IN THE COUNTRY. AND MORE TALENTED THAN MOST OF THE BIGGER NAMES!!!
But if he did suddenly transfer if he could. That would be absolute proof that he was afraid to compete!!! Actually if I know Kirby. Unless it’s just night and day. And unless he just doesn’t feel Newman can move the offense or win the big ones. He is probably going to start anyway based upon being a grad transfer with one season!!! And if he moves the offense and wins the big ones. More power to him!!!! Either way, I know that we have a talented ELITE QB just waiting in case of injury. To save the day or the season. And if they BOTH can play. Then I’m for playing BOTH GUYS!!! Because you never know when one might be needed!!! And I don’t want the backup superstar coming into the most important game. For the very first time all season!!!!! I like the Nick Saban approach of blowing out your rivals quickly. And then allowing the backup to play with the starting unit. And play wide open as if the game is within reach!!!!!
I know you Florida fans. And Tennessee fans and who knows who else. Who were counting on UGA only having Newman. And hoping he was overrated. I know Jake Fromm leaving was your wet dream!!! But every dream has an ending. And it comes time to WAKE UP!!! Jaime Newman could still start for UGA. AND IF HE DOES I’M IN HIS CORNER!!! But this only proves one thing. UGA WILL HAVE A QB THIS YEAR TO!!!! AND A BIG TIME TALENT!!!! Even more talented than Jake Fromm in the case of JT DANIELS!!! So regardless if it’s JAIME NEWMAN OR JT DANIELS. CARSON BECK OR D’WAN MATHIS. It don’t matter. They are all good QBs and possibly 2 great QBs in this bunch!!! Bad news for our rivals.
PS. Attention to the SEC HATER. Who said Florida wins the east in 2020 BOOK IT!!! Well I said back then he was wrong. And I’m saying it again. UGA WINS THE SEC EAST AND PROBABLY THE SEC. BOOK IT!!!!
King Negan
Mkay
Please correct me if I am wrong, but this calculation doesn’t factor in ad revenues, which goes the school, not the conference, right?
Additionally, it doesn’t factor in additional merchandise sales as a result of the bowl game.
Shouldn’t those factors be included?