Looking at the Maryland football team’s Military Bowl expenses

UPDATE: According to Maryland, it received its allotted bowl expense allowance from the ACC, even though it was not reported on the form and school officials said in December that they did not expect an allowance from the conference.

The full post detailing expenses is below.

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Compensating for a withheld allowance amid its tumultuous exit from the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Maryland football team trimmed expenses for the 2013 Military Bowl, according to an expense report obtained via an open records request.

Compared with an expense report from the 2010 Military Bowl, also obtained through an open records request, the athletic department deviated slightly in total expenses, dropping from $824,029, down from $884,174 three seasons ago, the final campaign under former coach Ralph Friedgen.

The biggest difference was that Maryland, as its official migration to the Big Ten looms on July 1, did not receive a bowl allowance from the ACC. This amount totaled $1.05 million in 2011 and was expected to reach $1.1 million this season for all member institutions. The conference began withholding revenue from Maryland in December 2012, less than three weeks after the intended switch to the Big Ten was announced. The amount withheld had climbed above $3 million by Dec. 14, 2012, and continues to increase as the two sides engage in litigation.

Still, the Terps found ways to save money. Though the team and staff total costs were nearly identical ($44,653 in 2011 versus $44,347 in 2013), traveling 17 more cheerleaders and band members for one fewer day saved the athletic department almost $6,000 ($14,327 vs. $8,355). The school also saved money through its meals, lodging and per diem, dropping from $280,927 in 2011 to $245,081 in 2013.

However, the section listed under “official party,” which traveled for two fewer days but contained four more people, spent $17,000 more than it did in 2011. A Maryland spokesperson explained this discrepancy as a financial rejiggering of sorts, switching certain expenses from one category to another.

All told, the Terps spent $23,416 less for the same game, three seasons later. They spent $4,629 more on “entertainment,” $18,026 less on “promotion,” $2,168 less on “awards” and $71,192 more on “equipment and supplies,” different items provided to the players during the bowl week within the bounds of NCAA regulations.

Under the conference’s bylaws, each member school is responsible for the cost of the first 6,000 tickets, then the ACC covers the next 2,000 tickets if they go unsold, and once a school reaches 8,000 sold, the conference covers the cost of any remaining tickets, taken from the bowl distribution pot.

In the realm of ticket sales, Maryland absorbed $170,440 in ticket sales and the ACC absorbed $50,770, up from $113,400 for Maryland and $0 for the conference in 2010. The Terps were committed to sell 9,982 tickets in 2013 and exceeded their allotment for the cheapest ($20) tickets, but fell short of meeting their goals for the $50 and $75 spots.

The full bowl expense report is embedded below: