Razorbacks Making Money in Memphis

Every year my family does a bowl pick ’em game for a little money, and let me tell you… it’s competitive! My grandfather, Jerry, is the most competitive of all the family, aside from me. Every year, he asks for the rules and talks trash in the process. But his third question is an every year occurrence … How much money are the Razorbacks making with this game? Aside from the team and wanting his Razorbacks to win, money is his top concern. So just for him, here’s a look at the Razorbacks’ payout, plus what each player’s gift bags contain for the Liberty Bowl, which is on the lower end of the bowl payouts from an SEC perspective.

Payout for the Liberty Bowl is the second lowest among bowl games featuring SEC teams. The Razorbacks payout for the Liberty Bowl is … (Drum roll please) … $1.437 million, that’s according to Saturday Down South. Here’s a look at where that places with other SEC bowl games.

$6 million to the conference for Alabama (Cotton Bowl — CFP semifinal)
$4 million to the conference for Ole Miss (Sugar Bowl)
Florida Gators – Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl vs. Michigan: $4.25 million
Tennessee Volunteers – Outback Bowl vs. Northwestern: $3.50 million
LSU Tigers – Advocare V100 Texas Bowl vs. Texas Tech: $3.0 million
Georgia Bulldogs – Taxslayer Bowl vs. Penn State: $2.75 million
Texas A&M Aggies – Music City Bowl vs. Louisville: $2.75 million
Mississippi State Bulldogs – Belk Bowl vs. NC State: $1.7 million
Arkansas Razorbacks – Autozone Liberty Bowl vs. Kansas State: $1.437 million
Auburn Tigers – Birmingham Bowl vs. Memphis: $1.1 million

To be honest, I was a little bit surprised at how low the payout was for the Liberty Bowl. But it’s not near as low as some bowls.

Dec 29, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Brandon Allen (10) before the game against the Texas Longhorns in the 2014 Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Plus, the SEC will divide the money earned over the bowl games evenly among the teams. So good work SEC. On a side note, it’s interesting that Florida will make more money in their bowl game than Ole Miss will in the Sugar Bowl.

Not only are the Razorbacks making money as a program, but the players and coaches will get a sweet gift bag just for coming to the bowl game.

This is something that has been going on for several years, and this year is no different. The Razorbacks Liberty Bowl gift bag is full of goodies. The Razorbacks recieve, “Gift card and shopping spree at the new Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid, custom-made Oculus Pro Team HD Binoculars, Bulova game Watch, Nike shoes, sport sandals and sunglasses, backpack and commemorative game ball.” That’s according to Newsday.com. Being a country guy myself, a shopping spree at Bass Pro Shops is a great gift! Plus, add in the Nike shoes, watch, and other goodies, that’s a good gift bag!

Other great gift bags for other bowl games include…

ALAMO BOWL – Oregon vs. TCU: Beats Studio wireless headphones, Fossil watch, $125 Best Buy gift card, team panoramic photo, mini half-and-half team helmet.

BELK BOWL – N.C. State vs. Mississippi State: Fossil watch and a shopping spree at the Belk flagship store where players receive a $450 gift card.

TEXAS BOWL – LSU vs. Texas Tech: Gift suite, Texas Bowl belt buckle, duffel bag, alpaca throw and selfie stick.

ARIZONA BOWL – Nevada vs. Colorado State: Backpack and a pair of Cowtown custom cowboy boots.

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QUICK LANE BOWL – Central Michigan vs. Minnesota: Custom decal graphic of each player with their likeness, Harman JBL headphones, $200 Best Buy gift card, Bowl merchandise and commemorative football. The winning team also will receive a $15,000 locker room makeover compliments of Media Swing.

MILITARY BOWL – Pittsburgh vs. Navy: Xbox One with Kinect, Under Armour duffel bag and $100 Microsoft gift card.

GODADDY BOWL – Georgia Southern vs. Bowling Green: Wilson souvenir football, custom bowl logo watch, Lit Cooler – 22 quart logo cooler and custom Sol Republic punk speaker.

Next: Bowl Week is Here for Razorbacks

The bowl payouts are great for the teams and their conferences, and the gift bags are a great way of congratulating the players on a fantastic year. But money aside, we all know why the Razorbacks are in Memphis… To remind K-State of the beat down that happened in 2011 at the Cotton Bowl. Stay tuned to Razorbacks.com for more updates and coverage of the 2015 Liberty Bowl!

To view the articles citied in this article, click the following links:
SEC Bowl Game Payout …. 2015-16 College Football Bowl Game Gifts