Florida State's victory in the 2014 BCS national championship game came with a price.

According to a report by the Tallahassee Democrat, the Seminoles' trip to Pasadena, Calif., to take on Auburn cost the school $2.82 million -- and left Florida State with a $500,000 loss.

University officials aren't worried, however, because the school expects to recoup the money. And then some. Thanks to Florida State's share of the ACC's bowl revenue, sales from merchandise and increases in ticket prices, the Seminoles expect to work their way out of the red.

The largest expense for Florida State was travel. The school sent 237 people to California as part of the team's travel party, which includes players and staff. An additional 416 people, many of them band members and cheerleaders, were in Pasadena for four days. Another 46 representatives from the school's faculty and athletics department also made the trip. In total, the Seminoles dropped $1.73 million on travel.

The university also bought more than 2,000 tickets for band, faculty and other purposes, which amounted to $710,385.

While the university says it will make back this money, this amounts to the second straight game for which Florida State posted a loss of a half million dollars. The Seminoles had a similar shortcoming in the ACC championship game.

As amazing as it seems, Florida State's expenses were relatively cheap compared to other schools in its position. The Birmingham News reports that Auburn spent $3 million this year, while Alabama dropped $3.4 million in 2013 and $4.3 million in 2010.

The business practices of college football bowls, especially BCS events, have been the subject of investigations in recent years. For example, Florida State's band was charged for tickets to attend the game, even though it played in the halftime show.

Additionally, some bowls benefit from tax breaks but are able to charge public universities, such as Florida State, for unsold tickets in the school's allotment. HBO's Real Sports reported on some of the shady business being done by bowls back in 2011:

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