Michigan didn't deserve a BCS bid, and in all reality, it probably would have helped their conference bowl record had they not gotten one.
Kstate would have brought a lot of people to New Orleans, no question. They travelled well for other bowls of BS era...So the fan $$$ would have been there.
What wasn't going to be there was the TV ratings. Casual fans don't watch Kansas State. It is the same principle as ratings for us, and (gasp) iowa. You really have to have a connection to the school, or state, to tune in for those games.
Look at the orange bowl a couple years ago, TERRIBLE ratings. Ga Tech is no household name, but the mighty hawks, repping the awsome big 10, drew NOBODY outside of the state, and pockets of iowans living around the country.
An average person in Tampa isn't going to watch an Iowa State, or an iowa, or a Kansas State game, unless they have some connection to those schools. They would, however, watch UT or OU, or Mich or O$U or child rape u play or Alabama or LSU, because they have been on TV forever and people are used to them...
Advertising dollars are a big deal, and you have to have ratings to get the $$$
I realize why it happened but I don't like that it happened. Depressing thought that ISU could be 10-2, top 8 in the country, and second best in the best conference and not get a BCS bid over the likes of second bids from the ACC and Big 10. Also depressing would be winning the best conference and not getting a national title shot to a team that was second best in their conference.:sad: