speaking of losing payout $…. check this out, this is from the 2014 bowls page…
Number of bowl-ineligible teams: 47
† – Appalachian State (7–5), Georgia Southern (9–3, Sun Belt champions), and Old Dominion (6–6) were conditionally eligible based on win–loss record. However, under FCS-to-FBS transition rules, they are not eligible because enough teams qualified under normal circumstances.
so there was a provision that if not enough teams qualified the transitioning team could go, so why under that same provision did james madison not go this year vice, them using 5-7 teams to fill slots at last minute because not enough teams qualified?