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Several times a day, Pete Hagan edits one of the many spreadsheets concerning the BCS championship game and prints the corrections, replacing the old copy in a designated file. One list, for instance, might include special needs for hotel rooms. Another concerns charter flights.

"Some people need cribs," said Hagan, director of business affairs for the Ohio State athletic department who heads the school's bowl planning committee. "Some rooms need to be connected for staff meetings and families. This is like a gigantic family vacation, and have you ever tried to plan a family vacation?"

Ohio State, like most of the 64 bowl participants this season, will take a massive force to New Orleans for its appearance in the national title game against LSU. Such an undertaking needs massive organization so that every player, every coach's wife and every clarinet player has a ticket, a room and a credential.

All told, bowl planning, housing and feeding costs about $70 million each year, almost all of it taken from the participation payout. While the Big Ten Conference will receive $17 million for Ohio State's appearance in the title game, it will funnel about $2 million back to the school to make the Superdome and the Big Easy as Buckeye-friendly and comfortable as possible.

"Believe me, I see it," said Vernon Gholston, the Ohio State junior defensive end. "I can see all the money that goes into it from now until we get down there, the meals and all the things."

The Ohio State traveling

party will require at least four chartered planes (including two just for the band) and years of experience to avoid the small problems that arrive late. The visibility from bowl games, particularly the title game, makes such expenses worthwhile, OSU officials said.

"Because bowl games are great opportunities for different parts of the university to touch alums in the area we go to, we bring a hefty group," said Gene Smith, the Ohio State athletic director. "It takes plenty to get us there."

Months of planning

Smith convened the first planning committee meeting on Nov. 12, but Hagan already had more than a decade of bowl experience by the time the small group sat down to discuss the basics. Bob Tucker, the Ohio State director of football operations, plays a major role in not just bowl games but all road arrangements. Representatives also arrived from the alumni office, president's office, student affairs group and trustees at the weekly Monday meetings.

Hagan, as the most experienced in the group, remembers some near-embarrassments. In 1997, as the Buckeyes prepared to play in the Rose Bowl, Hagan thought the team was all set with its charter flight out of Columbus. Less than a week before the team was scheduled to depart, the company called and said that, somehow, it didn't have the plane available. Or, it might have the airplane, but there were no pilots. Luckily, OSU was able to find a company to provide transportation.

One major change has been the inability to negotiate certain parts of the trip, Hagan said. Not long ago, the teams were welcome to choose their own hotels based on price, board room availability and other amenities. Now, most bowls have agreements with hotels and other aspects of traveling to limit how much the schools can choose for themselves.

There is also a greater demand for large charters as the number of bowls has increased. With more teams searching to transport their teams and support staffs, the industry is more competitive.

OSU did learn a new lesson

last year. Because the BCS created a separate title game played on Jan. 8, the Buckeyes missed school. While in Phoenix, Hagan and his staff called back to Columbus for laptops, tutors and other necessary materials so the OSU players could work with the books, as well. Eventually, they rented another meeting room.

"We've done this enough times that we have a pretty good idea of what's coming," Hagan said. "But you can't always know."

Plenty of cost

Last season, bowl participants paid a combined $18.8 million to transport teams, staffs, bands, cheerleaders and other school personnel to and from the postseason games.

That, however, was a fraction of the costs involved. To house and feed the team and staff, the schools spent $15.3 million (again, much of that coming out of the guaranteed bowl payout). That number alone increased 22 percent from the 2002-03 season.

In all, these teams spent nearly $70 million to play in bowl games. But, they still made a nearly $148 million profit from the $217.6 million in payouts from the bowls.

The money isn't exactly out of pocket. Smith said OSU, like many schools in major bowls, is slated to receive about $2 million from the title game guarantee to cover its expenses.

"We work pretty hard to come in on budget," Smith said. "Last year we were over a little bit, about $110,000, but sometimes things come up that you don't plan."

This season, the need for plenty of friendly faces is punctuated by LSU's virtual

home game. The Tigers, from Baton Rouge, will bus the 80 miles to New Orleans, which makes the travel planning much easier, both for the team and LSU fans going independently.

Ohio State players and coaches hope Buckeyes fans will make a similar effort to be heard in the Superdome.

"It is close to them, so their traveling is a lot easier, but we're not thinking too much about that," said Tyler Whaley, the OSU senior fullback. "They're at a place where they might feel a little more comfortable, but we know our fans will be there supporting us, even though it takes a lot."

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com.

The Bill

Last season, bowl participants spent nearly $70 million to participate in the postseason games.
Category	BCS bowls	All bowls
Transportation	$4.7 million	$18.8 million
Meals, lodging, per diem	$6.5 million	$21.5 million
Entertainment	$499,223	$1,297,827
Equipment and supplies	$448,401	$1,982,629
Total expenses	$19 million	$69.7 million