Florida State won its third national championship in Pasadena, Calif., in January, but the appearance in the final BCS title game also cost the university nearly a half-million dollars.

Florida State reported expenses of $2,820,613 -- nearly half of which came from transportation costs -- which exceeded the revenue generated from its BCS appearance by a total of $481,213.

A great night for the Seminoles on the field proved costly for Florida State's bank account. Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

The loss does not come as a surprise for FSU. Athletics director Stan Wilcox said in February that playing on the West coast increased travel expenses and hindered ticket sales, making it nearly impossible to turn a profit on the endeavor. Wilcox said that the losses were more than covered by the share of BCS revenue paid out by the conference along with projected increased future revenue that comes from winning a national title.

"We're not losing money in the long run, because as a conference, we're making a lot more money and those dollars are filtered down to the institutions," Wilcox said. "The issue has to do with the amount of expense allotted to go participate and what your expenses end up being."

According to Florida State's balance sheet, the athletics department spent $1,372,805 to transport 699 people to Pasadena for the game, including 237 members of the team and staff and 416 band members.

The school also absorbed a $710,385 loss on its ticket allotment. According to records, the school committed to 22,740 tickets ranging in cost between $215 and $385, and 2,125 were absorbed by the institution.

Another $364,005 was spent on meals and lodging, $22,029 on entertainment and $23,668 on promotion.

The ACC provided Florida State with $2,150,000 in expense allocation for the national championship game, which accounted for 92 percent of the school's title game revenues.

FSU also lost another $213,812 on its appearance in the ACC championship game, bringing its total postseason price tag to nearly $700,000.