That big payday Rutgers fans have been waiting for will have to wait until the Scarlet Knights are in the Big Ten and perhaps make it to the Rose Bowl.
If Rutgers beats Louisville Thursday night to win the Big East Conference championship and a likely trip to the Orange Bowl, it will not be a financial windfall.
The Big East has a tiered payout structure for its teams. The team that heads to the Orange Bowl gets a $2.4 million check. The team that heads to the Russell Athletic Bowl gets a $1.5 million payday. The Scarlet Knights can use that $900,000 to help pay their league exit fee.
Rutgers, which joined the Big Ten last week and then got so distracted by the noise it failed to claim its first Big East title with a horrific 27-6 loss at Pittsburgh, wants to change leagues in 2014. The Big East has exit requirements that call for a 27-month withdrawal wait and $10 million fine.
The league, however, negotiated those requirements with West Virginia, Pitt and Syracuse. The Mountaineers paid $20 million to join the Big 12 this season. West Virginia reportedly paid $11 million with the Big 12 contributing the rest.
At the press conference to announce Rutgers was leaving the Big East, Big Ten commissioner Jim Delaney said he would let the school take the lead on exit fee negotiations. The Big Ten certainly has the finances to assist Rutgers, if it chooses to do so.
There is a chance the Scarlet Knights could get to the Sugar Bowl if they win the Big East title, but the Orange Bowl remains the more likely scenario.
The Big East team that plays in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium gets $1.6 million but about $200,000 to $300,000 is travel expense reimbursement to offset the cost of coming to New York during the Christmas season.