The contracts were with the Big XII and PAC12. In anticipation of the possibility of conference memberships changing, it was tied to the teams. So in this case the survivabiliry went with the teams that went to the Big XII. That was to protect the bowl
from going from P4 teams to having to go after G5 teams and to protect the Big XII from having bowl eligible teams with no where to go.

It’s still an invitation and a team could decline it though I don’t know why a team would turn down one of the better bowls.

There is no conspiracy all of this was known before the season began.