COVID-19 has changed everyone’s lives, including in an unexpected way for several college football coaches within the Big Ten and PAC-12. Both these conferences have decided to cancel all their sporting activities during the upcoming fall schedule. As a result, each head coach has lost a crucial opportunity to earn those luxury incentives in their contracts.
It’s worth noting that their respective universities will still have to pay their base salaries and compensation for promotional duties. But those incentives will be lost and could have a massive impact on how much certain coaches earn this fall. Let’s look at three contracts from each conference and see what damage COVID-19 has done to their respective bank accounts.
PAC-12 Head Coach Contract Incentives
Chip Kelly (UCLA)
Regular Season and Conference Incentives
- Team Win 6 = $10,000
- Team Win 7 = $10,000
- Team Win 8 = $10,000
- Team Win 9 = $25,000
- Team Win 10 = $25,000
- Team Win 11 = $50,000
- Team Win 12 = $50,000
- Conference Championship Game Appearance = $50,000
- Conference Championship Game Win = $50,000
Post-Season Incentives
Bowl Scenarios:
- Non-New Year’s Six/ Non-Playoff Bowl Game Appearance = $40,000
OR - New Year’s Six/ Non-Playoff Bowl Game Appearance = $100,000
- New Year’s Six/ Non-Playoff Bowl Game Win = $100,000
OR - College Football Playoff Semifinal Appearance = $100,000
- College Football Playoff Championship Game Appearance = $150,000
- College Football Playoff National Champions = $200,000
Final Rankings:
- Top 10 Finish (including ties) = $25,000
- Top 5 Finish (including ties) = $25,000
Coaching Recognition Incentives
- Conference Coach of the Year = $50,000
- National Coach of the Year = $100,000
Maximum Amount of Money Lost:
Chip Kelly could’ve pulled in an extra $930,000 with a perfect regular season, conference title, National Championship, and receiving those two coaching awards. It was never going to happen because UCLA’s terrible at football, but you never know. It’s still a large amount of possible cash to have no opportunity at receiving.
Kevin Sumlin (University of Arizona)
Regular Season and Conference Incentives
- 9-win season = $125,000
- 10-win season = $150,000
- 11-win season = $250,000
- 12-win season = $350,000
- Conference Championship Game Appearance = $100,000
- Conference Championship Game Win = $200,000
*Only one regular-season win bonus and one conference championship bonus can be earned per season.
Post-Season Incentives
Bowl Scenarios:
- Non-New Year’s Six/ Non-Playoff Bowl Game Appearance = $25,000
- New Year’s Six/ Non-Playoff Bowl Game Appearance = $100,000
- New Year’s Six/ Non-Playoff Bowl Game Win = $200,000
- College Football Playoff Semifinal Appearance = $150,000
- College Football Playoff Championship Game Appearance = $500,000
- College Football Playoff National Champions = $1,000,000
Final Rankings:
- Finished Ranked Between 16-25 = $25,000
- Finished Ranked Between 11-15 = $50,000
- Finished Ranked top 10 = $75,000
*Only one bowl and one ranking bonus can be earned per year
Coaching Recognition Incentives
- Conference Coach of the Year = $50,000
- AP National Coach of the Year = $100,000
Maximum Amount of Money Lost
If the 2020-2021 season was played, Kevin Sumlin had a bit more money on the line than Chip Kelly. His maximum incentive package is $1,775,000, about double of what Kelly could have made. But he’ll have to wait until next season for the opportunity to get these bonuses.
Mario Cristobal (University of Oregon)
Regular Season and Conference Incentives
- 9-win season = $100,000
- 10-win season = $100,000
- 11-win season = $200,000
- 12-win season = $250,000
- Win PAC-12 North Division = $100,000
- Win PAC-12 Conference Championship Game = $150,000
Post-Season Incentives
- Non-New Year’s Six/ Non-Playoff Bowl Game Appearance = $100,000 (must have at least seven regular season wins)*
- New Year’s Six/ Non-Playoff Bowl Game Appearance = $175,000*
- College Football Playoff Semifinal Appearance = $200,000*
- College Football Playoff Championship Game Appearance = $250,000*
- College Football Playoff National Champions = $500,000
*Only one bowl participation incentive can be earned per season
Coaching Recognition Incentives
- PAC-12 Coach of the Year = $25,000
- AP National Coach of the Year = $50,000
Maximum Amount of Money Lost
Cristobal could’ve earned a rather impressive extra $1,725,000 based on these incentives. He’s going to have a hard time sleeping at night with this money left on the table. Oregon always has a solid shot at reaching these incentives, too, which makes it even worse.
Big Ten Head Coach Contract Incentives
Scott Frost (University of Nebraska)
Regular Season and Conference Incentives
- Wins or Ties for West Division Big Ten Conference Title without appearing in Big Ten Conference Championship Game = $100,000*
- Makes an Appearance in the Big Ten Conference Championship Game = $200,000*
- Wins Big Ten Conference Championship Game = $300,000*
*Only one regular season or conference incentive can be earned per season
Post-Season Incentives
- Appears in any non-College Football Playoff bowl game = $150,000*
- College Football Playoff Bowl Game Appearance = $250,000*
- College Football Playoff Semifinal Appearance = $300,000*
- College Football National Championship Appearance = $350,000*
- Wins College Football National Championship = $650,000
*Only one bowl participation incentive can be earned per season
Coaching Recognition Incentives
None
Maximum Amount of Money Lost
Scott Frost leading Nebraska to a National Championship and Conference Championship would’ve earned him an extra $950,000 in 2021. His contract is a bit different than the PAC-12 ones discussed earlier, but Frost has a much higher guaranteed salary than Kelly, Cristobal, or Sumlin. It makes these incentives seem a little more sensible.
Ryan Day (Ohio State University)
Regular Season and Conference Incentives
- Big Ten East Division Champions = $50,000
- Winner of the Big Ten Championship Game = $100,000
Post-Season Incentives
- College Football Playoff Appearance = $200,000
- College Football Playoff Semifinal Appearance = $250,000 (If won, he isn’t entitled to this money)
- College Football Playoff Championship Appearance = $350,000
Coaching Recognition Incentives
- Big Ten Coach of the Year = $50,000
- National Coach of the Year = $100,000
Maximum Amount of Money Lost
Ryan Day’s Ohio State Buckeyes would have the best chance at receiving the maximum incentive amount of these teams. But sadly, their increased likelihood and Day’s inexperience as a coach makes the maximum amount only $850,000. Ohio State isn’t looking to shell out truckloads of money for accomplishments they expect to achieve almost every year.
PJ Fleck (University of Minnesota)
Regular Season and Conference Incentives
- Big Ten West Division Champions = $100,000
- Winner of the Big Ten Championship Game = $150,000
Post-Season Incentives (Part 1)
- Participate in Any Bowl Game = $75,000
- Appear in a Bowl Game and be the First or Second Teams Remaining in the Conference Standings who Didn’t Play in the College Football Playoff Bowl Games = $125,000
- New Year’s Six/ Non-Playoff Bowl Game Appearance = $175,000
- College Football Playoff Semifinal Appearance = $200,000
- College Football Playoff National Champions = $300,000
*Only one from this section can be earned.
Post-Season Incentives (Part 2)
- Wins a Bowl Game Against a team from the ACC, SEC, PAC-12, or Big 12 = $50,000
Coaching Recognition Incentives
- Big Ten Coach of the Year = $50,000
- National Coach of the Year = $100,000
Maximum Amount of Money Lost
PJ Fleck’s Minnesota Golden Gophers were college football’s surprise team last year. If Fleck repeated this success and did a little better by winning the National Championship against a Power 5 school, he’d be looking at an extra $750,000 in bonuses. He’d have to win both coaching awards, but it’s impossible to see him doing everything else without earning them, as well.