MONDAY, OCTOBER 4 2021 COLLEGE FOOTBALL MONEY

 MONDAY OCTOBER 4, 2021 COLLEGE FOOTBALL

I’m looking more at the money angle in college football:

Coaches can get rich:
Top 5 highest-paid college football coaches in 2021 (sportskeeda.com)

2021 highest-paid college football coach & their salaries (audacy.com)

Nick Saban, $8.4 million - Alabama (the second source says 9.1 million)
Dabo Swinney, $8.25 million - Clemson
Lincoln Riley, $8.05 million - Oklahoma
Dan Mullen, $7.6 million - Florida
Jimbo Fisher, $7.5 million- Texas A&M
Ed Orgeron, LSU: $8.7 million
Gus Malzahn, Auburn: $6.9 million

Malzahn was fired on December 13, 2020, because of — surprise, surprise! — he didn't win enough. The school still owes him about $21 million, because coaches get guaranteed contracts. 

**********

In the Big Ten Athletic Conference

Harbaugh $7.5M - Michigan
Brohm $6.6M - Purdue
Franklin $5.7M - Penn State
Tucker $5.3M -Michigan State
Fitzgerald $5.2M - Northwestern
Frost $5M - Nebraska
Ferentz $4.8M - Iowa
Fleck $4.6M - Minnesota
Day $4.5M - Ohio State
Chryst $4.2M - Wisconsin
L Smith $4M - Illinois
Schiano $4M - Rutgers
Allen $3.9M - Indiana
Locksley $2.5M - Maryland
Coaches can also get bonuses if they get into a bowl game, end up in the AP top 5 (or 10, or 20) in the final rankings, or into the National Championship games

*****
Top Grossing College Football programs 

1. Texas -- $156 million

2. Georgia -- $123 million

3. Michigan -- $122 million

4. Notre Dame -- $116 million

5. Ohio State -- $115 million

6. Penn State -- $100 million

7. Auburn -- $95 million

8. Oklahoma -- $94.8 million

9. Alabama -- $94.6 million

10. Nebraska -- $94.3 million

11. LSU -- $92 million

12. Tennessee -- $91 million

13. Wisconsin -- $90 million

14. Florida -- $85 million

15. Washington -- $84 million

(Most of these programs have extensive television networks)

************

STOP FOR A SECOND!!!

These are COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACHES!!!  COLLEGE!!!  Their players go to classes and write papers, and hopefully graduate and get jobs - many of whom will NOT be getting jobs playing football!!

So - as an example - Michigan comes out with gross revenue of 122 Million Dollars????  Sure they are playing their head coach for $5.7 million, they are not paying players (yet), and yes paying other coaches, trainers, and others - they do make a profit. An older source says, “The Wolverines posted total football operating expenses of just under $32 million, compared to football revenue of $88.2 million. The difference in those numbers helped support other sports – and make U-M one of the rare “self-supporting” football programs and college sports programs. 

The article says “One of the rare self-supporting football programs”.  Many programs do lose money - but (somehow) it is okay to lose money on football.  A little local college plays in the NCAA Divison III level and has about 50 players (and only 11 on the field at one time).  There are no athletic scholarships (although many of these players do get aid scholarships or academic scholarships).  Kids are willing to play college football on small school teams -may be because they like football and can see themselves in the future saying to their children “Yes, I played college football”.  

College Football Coaching may be the best job in the country.  But - before you start to look at openings you need to consider that the top paid coaches probably worked as assistant coaches for several years before getting the top job.  The top assistants can get from say 100,000 to 2,000,000.  And, there can be graduate assistants in football programs working for almost nothing. 

*****

The concept of college football and money can be mindboggling.  The concept of winning, (and winning generates more revenue) helps recruit students to college.  Students want to be “associated” with a winner.  A student might say “Oh yes, I went to school at <place> when they won the national championship or finished top in the Big Ten <or another conference>.  

I went to college for an education.  I’m not even sure if I checked out the football program (but, then, I didn’t play high school football).  Of course, there wasn’t an internet then to tell me how great the athletic programs were!!!

Yes, I got my Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska - with gross revenue of $94.3 and play their head coach $5 million.  But, I didn’t go to Nebraska for the football program and reputation.  Actually, I did attend one Nebraska football game as a Ph.D. student.  I was working in the library writing an academic paper and it was a rainy, cold day and they were playing a less successful student.  At some point in the second half, I decided to go to the game - and people were thronging out - and I walked in past the ushers and ticket takers and took a seat in the cold rain, and watched the end of the game. 

But, LOVE WINS!!!

Karen

(I have told people that I played in the NCAA Division I Frozen Four tournament and championship game - and people are impressed until I tell them I did play - but I played with the Pep Band in the “nose-bleed” seats!!!)