Big score: College bowl game payouts surpass $500 million

Thanks to the College Football Playoff, bowl games paid more than a half-billion dollars to conferences and schools last season, the largest payout ever and an increase of almost $200 million from the final season of the Bowl Championship Series. According to an NCAA report released Tuesday, the 39 postseason FBS games distributed $505.9 million to the participating conferences and schools. The schools spent $100.2 million to take part in bowl games. Total payouts from 35 postseason games from the 2013-14 season, the last year of the BCS, were $309.9 million while schools spent $97.8 million to participate. – AP