No pressure, Fresno.
The Mountain West's BCS payout will likely jump from roughly $2 million to $11 million should Fresno State continue its run into a BCS bowl, MWC commissioner Craig Thompson told CBSSports.com.
Fresno would get $4 million off the top before travel/ticket expenses, and the 12-team league would split the remaining $7 million.
For Fresno, half of that $4 million could disappear after travel costs and absorbing the ticket allotment, but the school can sell those tickets to make money back. TCU had no problem with that in the 2011 Rose Bowl against Wisconsin, selling out the allotment by early December.
TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte said the Mountain West's formula "sounds about right" for what the Horned Frogs received, but in 2010-11 the MWC didn't get all the money -- there was an additional portion that went to the rest of the BCS.
An ideal bowl for Fresno's fans would be the Fiesta, which is less than 600 miles away from the school.
The 9-0 Bulldogs, led by quarterback Derek Carr in a potent no-huddle offense, is off this week before wrapping the regular season with New Mexico and San Jose State.
