Things turned a bit sour for the West Virginia football program after the Moutaineers lost to Pittsburgh 13-
9 in their final regular season game. Even though they went to the Fiesta Bowl the next game and humbled Oklahoma 48-18.
Would you believe WVU actually lost over $1 million in the BCS bowl? The Big East awarded the program $2.42 million for its appearance but the university spent $3.49 million on expenses, including travel, food and lodging for the players and band members. The bottom line was a loss of more than $1 million.
According to TradingMarkets.com:
The Fiesta Bowl had a payout of $17 million, but the Big East Conference collects revenue from all the bowls its schools attend, and then it cashes out money appropriately to all eight members.
WVU’s Fiesta payout was the highest among the five Big East bowl participants last season. The amounts are determined by the caliber of the bowl and physical travel distance. Additionally, each school is guaranteed at least $2 million after the season through the Big East’s bowl revenue sharing plan.
The loss to Pittsburgh and the subsequent loss of Coach Rich Rodriguez to Michigan knocked the air out of the WVU fan base. Of the university’s 9,519 absorbed tickets, 8,174 went unsold and unused, Parsons said. The university paid for all 9,519 tickets — however, 1,345 of those were used as guest tickets for the coaches and players.
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WVU Basketball Coach Bob Huggins was taken to a Charlotte, NC, hospital today for observation after bumping his head getting off a plane. Huggins signed a 10-year contract last week to remain at his alma mater through his 65th birthday
I wouldn’t touch the story about Hugs hitting his head in the plane with a ten or twenty foot pole…..how dry I am…….hiccup