dont sleep on that gift card. its what i would want. correct me if im wrong, but isnt it something like the bowl can give out a 'total value' of about $500, the school can match that with another $350? those electronic 'suites' some of the bowls do are insane. Numbers get fudged pretty easily in that situation.
also, dont sleep on the players total haul for the game/trip.
my cousin was a walk on at Nebraska basketball. they went to hawaii for a tourney-and he came home with a grip of cash. per diems, etc. its not like he had to actually buy food and stuff while he was there, for the most part its just money, pocketed.