The five non-Bowl Championship Series conferences will receive a record $24 million from this year's BCS bowl games.

BCS figures obtained by The Associated Press yesterday show that the bulk of that money will go to the two conferences that sent teams to BCS games: Mountain West Conference, $9.8 million, and the Western Athletic Conference, $7.8 million. The other three non-BCS conferences will divide the remainder.

The University of Hawai'i's share is expected to be approximately $550,000, according to conference officials.

"Boise State getting in, I think, was a windfall to each of our WAC schools," said Karl Benson, WAC commissioner. "I'm sure that it comes at a time when all of our schools can use the additional revenue."

The figures still lag behind the six BCS conferences, which will receive between $17.7 million and $22.2 million each.

Critics in Congress who have taken aim at the BCS have cited what they consider an unfair distribution of BCS revenue. BCS executive director Bill Hancock told the AP the new numbers show the distribution is "fair and appropriate."

Under the BCS system, six conferences get automatic bids to participate in top-tier bowl games while the other five don't. The conferences that don't receive automatic bids will reap a record take this year because they sent two teams to BCS bowls for the first time — Boise State of the Western Athletic Conference and Texas Christian of the Mountain West Conference.