College football public-school head coaches cash in big with bonuses to end regular season

Steve Berkowitz | USA TODAY

With conference championships decided and bowl bids handed out, college football head coaches at Bowl Subdivision public schools have picked up nearly $9.5 million in bonuses this season.

This past week alone, they totaled more than $2.5 million — and that's just part of the overall incentive payout schools will make to assistant coaches, strength coaches, athletics directors and a range of team staffers.

For the first time, USA TODAY Sports has been tracking on a weekly basis the amounts public-school football head coaches are scheduled to be getting and for what achievements.

Below are details of amounts achieved since the end of the regular season. The information is based on contracts USA TODAY Sports obtained from the schools through open-records requests, and shows the coaches' employers during the season. Since then, Lane Kiffin has moved from Florida Atlantic to Mississippi, Mike Norvell from Memphis to Florida State and Eli Drinkwitz has agreed to move from Appalachian State to Missouri.

Overall, Oregon's Mario Cristobal has racked up the greatest total at $1.175 million. But LSU's Ed Orgeron has $1.05 million and could pick up more from coaching honors and if the Tigers advance in the College Football Playoff. For some perspective on that: 39 FBS public-school head coaches were making less than $1 million in basic annual compensation from their respective schools this season.

More: Bonus earned by football coaches in FBS in regular season

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DATABASE: How much each college football coach makes

Appalachian State: Eli Drinkwitz

$50,000: Win Sun Belt championship

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Boise State: Bryan Harsin

$100,000: Win Mountain West championship

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Central Michigan: Jim McElwain

$25,000: MAC coach of the year

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Cincinnati: Luke Fickell

$50,000: Team among top 25 of final College Football Playoff ranking

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Clemson: Dabo Swinney

$150,000: Win ACC championship

$150,000: Team plays in College Football Playoff semifinals (increases total for bowl play to $200,000 so far)

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Florida: Dan Mullen

$100,000: Team plays in New Year's Six non-semifinal (increases total for bowl play to $200,000)

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Florida Atlantic: Lane Kiffin

$10,000: Win Conference USA championship

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Georgia: Kirby Smart

$100,000: Team plays in New Year's Six non-semifinal (increases total for bowl play to $175,000)

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Hawaii: Nick Rolovich

$20,000: Mountain West coach of the year

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Louisiana-Lafayette: Billy Napier

$25,000: Sun Belt coach of the year

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Louisiana State: Ed Orgeron

$200,000: Win SEC championship

$225,000: Team plays in College Football Playoff semifinals (increases total for bowl play to $250,000 so far)

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Louisville: Scott Satterfield

$50,000: ACC coach of the year

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Memphis: Mike Norvell

$140,000: Team plays in New Year's Six non-semifinal (increases total for bowl play to $175,000)

$20,000: Team among No. 25 through No. 11 in final College Football Playoff rankings

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Miami (Ohio): Chuck Martin

$44,428: Win MAC championship

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Minnesota: P.J. Fleck

$50,000: Big Ten coach of the year by coaches

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Ohio State: Ryan Day

$50,000: Big Ten coach of the year by media

$100,000: Win Big Ten championship

$250,000: Team plays in College Football Playoff semifinals

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Oklahoma: Lincoln Riley

$50,000: Win Big 12 championship

$50,000: Team among top 5 in final CFP ranking

$125,000: Team plays in College Football Playoff semifinals (increases total for bowl play to $150,000 so far)

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Oregon: Mario Cristobal

$150,000: Win Pac-12 championship

$25,000: Team plays in New Year's Six non-semifinal (increases total for bowl play to $175,000)

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Penn State: James Franklin

$100,000: Team plays in New Year's Six non-semifinal (increases total for bowl play to $300,000)

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Utah: Kyle Whittingham

$85,000: Team among top 25 of final College Football Playoff ranking (increases total for rankings to $100,000)

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Western Michigan: Tim Lester