USA TODAY Sports’ George Schroeder breaks down the five matchups to watch.
USA TODAY Sports
Head coach Kirk Ferentz looks on as his Iowa Hawkeyes fall to Northwestern.
(Photo: Jeffrey Becker, USA TODAY Sports)
With college football’s regular season closing for many teams this weekend, positions in conference championship games, eligibility for bowl bids — and the accompanying bonuses for head coaches, assistants and staff — are at stake in dozens of games.
But two of the most lucrative rewards could go to coaches whose teams have secured bowl bids and cannot win their conference titles.
Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz gets a $500,000 bonus if the Hawkeyes win eight games in a season, and they can reach that mark on Friday with a win at home against No. 15 Nebraska, which is still in contention for a spot in the Big Ten title game.
Kentucky’s Mark Stoops gets a $250,000 bonus for each win beginning with the Wildcats’ seventh of the season, and they can get their seventh Saturday with victory on the road against No. 11 Louisville.
Ferentz could get additional money if a win by Iowa is followed on Saturday by No. 6 Wisconsin losing at home to Minnesota. That would create a four-way tie for the Big Ten West Division title, with Wisconsin advancing to the Big Ten championship game. Ferentz’s contract gives him a $100,000 bonus if Iowa wins a West Division title but does not advance to the Big Ten title game. Ferentz already has secured the $100,000 bonus he gets if Iowa appears in any bowl game, and Iowa’s seventh win increased the guaranteed value of his 10-year contract by almost $2.2 million.
COACH PAY: USA TODAY salaries database
Meanwhile, the outcome of the Big Ten East race also could produce six-figure payouts for the head coaches.
If Jim Harbaugh and the No. 4 Wolverines win on Saturday at No. 2 Ohio State, Michigan will be the East representative in the conference title game. That will trigger a $125,000 payment for Harbaugh, whose contract does not give him a bonus for any Big Ten achievement less than an appearance in the conference championship game or for a bowl appearance outside one of the six affiliated with the College Football Playoff. If Michigan is selected for one of those six games — which seems likely if the Wolverines beat Ohio State — he would get at least another $200,000.
If the Buckeyes beat Michigan, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer will get a $50,000 bonus for winning or sharing the division title. A spot in one of the six CFP-affiliated games would give him at least $200,000 more. (Like Harbaugh, Meyer does not get a bonus for a bowl appearance other than one in a CFP-affiliated game)
No. 8 Penn State will go into Saturday tied with Michigan and Ohio State for first place in the division — and its home game against Michigan State is after the Michigan-Ohio State game. If Michigan has won, a victory by the Nittany Lions will give coach James Franklin $150,000 for tying for the division title but not playing in the Big Ten title game. If Ohio State has won, a victory by the Nittany Lions will put them in the Big Ten title game — and Franklin will get a $250,000 bonus. Franklin already has secured at least $200,000 for an appearance in any bowl game.
Other head coaches who could qualify for bonuses — many of which are in addition to amounts already secured — include (alphabetically by school):
Colorado’s Mike MacIntyre
►Play in Pac-12 title game: $100,000
Clemson’s Dabo Swinney
►11th regular-season win: $50,000
Houston: Tom Herman
►10th regular-season win: $17,500
Memphis: Mike Norvell
►8th win of the season: $35,000
Minnesota: Tracy Claeys
►6th Big Ten win of the season: $25,000
AND
►Tie for Big Ten division championship: $100,000
Nebraska’s Mike Riley
►Tie for Big Ten division title but not play in Big Ten title game: $100,000
OR
►Play in Big Ten title game: $200,000
North Carolina’s Larry Fedora
►Win ACC division (needs win and loss by Virginia Tech): $29,689
North Carolina State’s Dave Doeren
►Play in non-CFP bowl game: $25,000
South Florida’s Willie Taggart
►10th regular season win: $15,000
AND
►Play in AAC title game (needs win and loss by Temple): $10,000
Virginia Tech’s Justin Fuente
►Play in ACC title game: $25,000
Washington’s Chris Petersen
►Play in Pac-12 title game: $50,000
Washington State’s Mike Leach
►Beat Washington: $25,000
AND
►Pac-12 North champion: $50,000
Wisconsin’s Paul Chryst
►Play in Big Ten title game: $40,000
TOP 10 GAMES IN WEEK 13
Autoplay
Show Thumbnails
Show Captions
Last SlideNext Slide
Source link
The post With bowls, conference titles at stake, it’s bonus season for coaches appeared first on 23on.com.