Illinois to get $1.6M for Heart of Dallas Bowl

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The University of Illinois will receive $1.6 million for playing in the Heart of Dallas Bowl on Friday against Louisiana Tech, bowl spokesman Brant Ringler said.

Attendance is estimated to be between 25,000 and 30,000 for the game, which is to be aired on ESPN this year instead of ESPNU as in past years, Ringler said. That will "increase exposure dramatically for the teams in the game," he told The (Champaign) News Gazette.

Illinois' allotment for the bowl game is 4,000 tickets, and some will be distributed free to family members and others, Illini athletic department spokesman Kent Brown. The university sells the rest.

So far, about 3,000 tickets have been sold, Brown said. Those who buy tickets through the school receive two seats to a men's basketball game and are entered into a raffle for other prizes.

The list of Illinois' official contingent for the five-day trip to the game is still being completed, Brown said. Players are expected to leave Monday and return after the game. The school has chartered two planes, one for the team and their families and one for staff and their families.

The University of Illinois pays for lodging and a per diem for meals for all those traveling with the team's official party. The Illinois Higher Education Travel Control Board sets the per diem food rate for out-of-state travel at $32 a day.