Boise may not be as warm as Florida — but it pays the same.

ISU officials said the acceptance of a bid by Iowa State to the Humanitarian Bowl brings many benefits to the university — monetary and otherwise.

Tom Kroeschell, director of Athletic Media Relations, said playing in a third-tier bowl like the Humanitarian Bowl would bring a payout of $650,000.

“All the money from all of the bowls is put into a giant pool in the Big 12,” said Kroeschell. “The schools get paid out of that pool.”

The other third-tier bowls that the Big 12 contracts with include the Independence Bowl, the Tangerine Bowl and the Houston Bowl. Second-tier bowls, which include the Alamo Bowl, the Cotton Bowl and the Holiday Bowl, pay $925,000 to participating schools. The highest bowls, which are part of the Bowl Champion Series, are the Rose Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl. Payout for these bowls is $1.48 million to each participating school.

The top teams in the country, which are determined by their BCS standing, play in the top-tier bowls. The top tiers each select teams first, funneling through until the third tier chooses from the rest of the eligible teams.

Kroeschell said money from the bowl is first used to pay expenses such as travel and accommodations. The ISU Athletic Department then disperses that money to all 18 sports.

“Overall, we have been quite austere in our bowl trip expenditures relative to other schools,” he said. “This has enabled us to come home in the black.”

Kroeschell said even though the payout is less than last year, there are no hesitations about going to the Humanitarian Bowl.

“We’re happy to go to any bowl,” he said. “Three years ago, we hadn’t been to a bowl game in over 20 years. This is the first time in school history that we have been to a third straight bowl game, as well as defeated three bowl teams.”

There are also other benefits involved with Iowa State going to a bowl game, said John McCarroll, director of University Relations.

“First of all, an invitation to a bowl is a tribute to the players, the coaches and the athletic staff,” he said. “It has been a long and successful season and they have earned it as a bonus.”

McCarroll said the bowl game would also be a chance for Iowa State to gain exposure on a national basis. A bowl game would also mean more exposure to potential students.

“I believe the university staff in admissions will tell you that there is a direct correlation in interest in the university with how the athletic teams perform,” McCarroll said.

He said the university was going to be supporting the bowl trip by providing information to media about Iowa State as well as information for Cyclone fans.

“We try to pass along travel information and things to do while you’re there,” McCarroll said.

He said he believes the bowl game trip will have a positive impact, even for the students who don’t attend football games.

“We don’t expect everything to have an impact on all of our students,” McCarroll said. “But this is good for showing that they attend a university that shows it is excelling in intercollegiate athletics with a great academic record as well.”