Enlarge By Pat Shannahan, The (Phoenix) Arizona Republic Oklahoma's Landry Jones passes during last week's Fiesta Bowl, whose organizers also run the Insight Bowl and get the BCS title game every four years. Investigations could threaten the tax-exempt status of the non-profit Fiesta, one legal expert said. Enlarge By David Kadlubowski for USA TODAY Fiesta Bowl President and CEO John Junker allegedly arranged improper political contributions. BOWL DIRECTORS' PAY BOWL DIRECTORS' PAY Compensation for executive directors of the four major bowls. All figures are from the organizations' most recently available federal tax returns, which include compensation data for the 2008 calendar year. Paul Hoolahan Sugar $645,386 John Junker Fiesta/Insight $592,418 Eric Poms Orange $357,722 Mitch Dorger Rose $277,929 Breakdown of Junker's compensation: Arizona Sports Foundation (Fiesta Bowl): $317,717

Fiesta Events Inc.: $177,300

Valley of the Sun Bowl Foundation (Insight Bowl): $97,401 CAMPUS RIVALRY CAMPUS RIVALRY Get the latest news and buzz from the world of college football in Campus Rivalry. READ THE LATEST POSTS READ THE LATEST POSTS Read all posts SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.  The man in the bright yellow jacket glanced to his right, to the ballroom crush of cameras and notepads around Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, and expressed a sort of kinship with the scandal-touched star nearly 40 years his junior. "It's no different than it is for them," said Duane Woods, who as chairman of the Fiesta Bowl's board of directors is a key custodian of Monday's national championship game. "They've got to focus on the game, avoid the distractions. Our mission is to make sure this thing runs flawlessly and people have a really memorable experience. "Our people have really just put on their game face and are doing their job." The pay-for-play scheme involving Newton's father — a dominant story line of the final month of college football's regular season — isn't the only cloud hanging over the approaching Bowl Championship Series showdown between Auburn and Oregon. The host Fiesta Bowl is awaiting the outcome of two separate investigations of allegations that officials orchestrated improper political contributions over nearly a decade. BOWL SCHEDULE: Matchups and results for all 35 games PHOTO GALLERY: Images from the college bowl season Criminal charges are possible if the allegations are substantiated. One legal expert says the tax-exempt status of the non-profit Fiesta could be threatened. BCS officials won't speculate on the potential impact on the Fiesta's coveted place in the four-bowl, five-game arrangement that headlines college football's postseason. "We have contracts that, of course, we're obligated to honor, and we're very hopeful that everything will be just fine with the Fiesta Bowl," said Penn State's Graham Spanier, who chairs the BCS' 12-member presidential oversight committee. "But we'll keep an eye on it and stay in touch with them and see how it unfolds." The Arizona Republic touched off the controversy in December 2009, reporting that current and former Fiesta employees had told the Phoenix newspaper they were encouraged to write checks to specific political candidates and were reimbursed by the bowl through bonuses. The donations were delivered through lobbyists, the Republic said. It said five unnamed current and former employees told the newspaper that employees made contributions at the urging of Fiesta Bowl President and CEO John Junker and were reimbursed a few weeks later. Junker, an Arizona State graduate in his 30th year with the bowl, could not be reached by USA TODAY but has denied wrongdoing. The actions, if true, would violate state and federal laws prohibiting the channeling of corporate campaign contributions through individuals. Non-profit organizations also are prohibited from making political contributions. While employees can, they can't be reimbursed. The Arizona Secretary of State's office investigated and, in July, asked the state attorney general to open a criminal investigation. Citing people with knowledge of the situation, theRepublic reported the case was handed to a grand jury in the fall. The Fiesta, meanwhile, has appointed an independent special committee — whose three members include retired state Supreme Court Justice Ruth McGregor — to conduct its own investigation. An earlier inquiry commissioned by the bowl came up empty, but Woods said in October that new information had turned up. Woods' full-time job is overseeing western U.S. and Canadian operations for a waste and environmental services company, Waste Management, that has more than 20 million customers. He said he expected findings by February. He, too, declined to speculate on an outcome but said, "I think, for a lot of people who've been around a long time, there's a sense we were so focused on everything going so great and not focused on governance that we took our eye off the ball and didn't keep enough supervision. "It's not like we haven't been given reports. We've relied on what we've received. But I think we need to relook at governance and make sure we have things in place where we have a constant check. That's just the evolution of the business. It was a small bowl. Now, it's a big business, and we have to run it like a big business." Operating through four foundations, the Fiesta runs the annual Insight and Tostitos Fiesta bowls, hosts the BCS title game every four years and stages an array of ancillary events. With aggressiveness, deep pockets and a reputation for excelling at big events, it landed a place in the big-money BCS along with the Orange, Sugar and Rose in 1998. Other bowls have publicly longed to join the lineup. Many in the BCS expect the Cotton, played at the Dallas Cowboys' lavish new stadium in Arlington, Texas, to make a serious bid when the BCS' current contracts expire after the 2013 season. "We need to know more before we can really make a judgment," sports-law expert Gary Roberts, dean of the University of Indiana law school, said of the campaign-contribution charges. "But if the top guy in the organization was doing this, then this could be a big deal ... put the Fiesta Bowl in some jeopardy both legally with the IRS and with the BCS." The Fiesta, along with the Orange and Sugar bowls, already has been targeted by the anti-BCS political action committee Playoff PAC in a complaint to the IRS about what Playoff PAC said are excessive salaries paid by the non-profit bowls, their failure to disclose lobbying activities, intervention in political campaigns and "substantial private benefit to organizational insiders." Junker earned more than $592,000 in 2008 in base salary, bonuses and incentives, deferred compensation and other pay, according to the Fiesta's most recent tax filings. Woods said the Fiesta also was evaluating his and others' compensation "to see if it's right, if it's fair." Said Woods: "We're going to have a good period of self-reflection. I'm not worried about the organization at all. I see it as an opportunity." We've updated the Conversation Guidelines. Changes include a brief review of the moderation process and an explanation on how to use the "Report Abuse" button. Read more