In reply to: Don't hold your breath posted by tf86
Why would anyone want to go to a bowl game in Boston.
Pretty easy to come by. I wasn't able to make it to the Fiesta Bowl for our last national championship (somewhat foolishly in hindsight, I figured there would be others in the near future), and I lived in Jacksonville at the time. I wound up going to the Gator Bowl instead, in what was Vince Dooley's last game as Georgia head coach (vs. Michigan State). Fun fact for that game: New Year's Day fell on a Sunday that year, and the Gator Bowl was the only bowl game to play on Sunday.
Anyway, a bunch of us walked right up to the gate and got tickets for the game. Tickets cost $10 IIRC (it was over 30 years ago, after all).
Unfortunately, the advantage to a program to have additional days of practice makes it more difficult to say no if invited to a bowl game.
There is also some benefit with regards to recruiting and alumni relations I would think.
Whether or not the above is valued above the cost of attending is a good question. I would hazard a guess that ADs and other folks making the decision just care about enjoying the boondoggles while they spend their schools' money
I think most, if not all conferences have it in their bylaws that if offered, schools have to go.
A 5-7 team can decline a bowl bid if one is offered. I believe Missouri did so a few years back. This year no 5-7 teams went to bowl games, but starting in 2020 there almost certainly will be some, unless some existing bowls fold.
One further advantage to a bowl game (for a Group of Five school, at least) is the opportunity to appear on national TV on a network with broader range than CBSSN or FS1, and also with less TV competition involving Power 5 programs.