About the Data

• 1 The highest-ranked champion from a Group of Five conference (American, CUSA, MAC, MWC, Sun Belt) is guaranteed one berth in one of these four major bowls slotted by the playoff committee
• 2 The Frisco Bowl, formerly the Miami Beach Bowl, was moved and renamed for 2017
• 3 Army West Point will be invited to the Armed Forces Bowl in 2017 if it qualifies for selection
• 4 Gasparilla Bowl was formerly St. Petersburg Bowl and Beef O'Brady's Bowl
• The San Diego Bowl Game Association announced on January 25, 2017 that the Poinsettia Bowl will no longer be held
• Notre Dame is eligible for all ACC bowls as long as its overall record is within one win/loss of the bowl-eligible ACC schools

Additional Information

Payouts

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.

Total postseason payout increased from $174,561,086 in the 2015 bowl season to $181,845,519 in the 2016 bowl season. If you include the College Football Playoff Distribution Policy explained below, the total payout was $622,600,033 (a $116,700,033 increase over 2015). The final year of the BCS (2013) generated $309,900,000.

Playoff Revenue Distribution Policy

1) Each conference will receive $300,000 for each of its schools when the school's football team meets the NCAA's APR for participation in a post-season football game. Each independent institution will also receive the $300,000 when its football team meets that standard.

(2) Each of the 10 conferences will also receive a base amount. For conferences that have contracts for their champions to participate in the Orange, Rose or Sugar Bowl, the base combined with the full academic performance pool will be approximately $54 million for each conference. The five conferences that do not have contracts for their champions to participate in the Orange, Rose or Sugar Bowls will receive approximately $81.32 million in aggregate (full academic pool plus base), which the conferences will distribute as they choose. Notre Dame will receive a payment of $2.65 million if it meets the APR standard; the other three independents will share $928,503.

(3) A conference will receive $6 million for each team that is selected for the semifinal games. There will be no additional distribution to conferences whose teams qualify for the national championship game. A conference will receive $4 million for each team that plays in a non-playoff bowl under the arrangement (in 2017-18, the Cotton, Fiesta and Peach Bowls).

(4) Each conference whose team participates in a playoff semifinal, Cotton, Fiesta or Peach Bowl, or in the national championship game will receive $2.25 million to cover expenses for each game.

Additionally, certain conferences in the Football Championship Subdivision conferences will receive $2.53 million in aggregate.

New Bowl Games

The NCAA in April of 2016 said no new bowls for 3 years. At that time, Austin (TX), Charleston (SC), and Myrtle Beach (SC) – were hoping to stage games in 2016.

Bowl Ineligible Teams

Mississippi (self-imposed)