Millions are on line for college football coaches with bonuses available for playoff appearances

Millions of dollars in bonuses and other incentives will be decided Friday, Saturday and Sunday, as the college football season reaches its conference championship week and 12-team College Football Playoff is selected and seeded.

Bowl Subdivision public-school head coaches already have combined to claim nearly $10.4 million in bonuses, according to tracking by USA TODAY Sports based on contracts acquired through open-records requests. And that’s without counting amounts that are headed to assistant coaches and other staffers, as well as to some athletics directors.

For example, with Tennessee all but assured of a place in the playoff, Volunteers AD Danny White is headed for a bonus of at least $82,500 (an amount equal to 3% of his $2.75 million annual salary). And he would get more if the team advances.

But that’s no different from how it would go for head coaches whose teams are playing for trophies this weekend. In nearly all instances, with each victory, their payouts will grow -- in many cases, by six-figure amounts. Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham has a two-bonus parlay that would be worth more than $1.5 million if the Sun Devils defeat Iowa State for the Big 12 championship. (Dillingham has already racked up $995,000 in bonuses and has chosen to have $200,000 of that divided among 20 off-the-field staffers.)

And under a recently signed terms letter, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti would see the guaranteed amount of his agreement increase by more than $9 million in case of termination without cause if, as expected, the Hoosiers – who don’t play this weekend – get an at-large bid to the College Football Playoff.

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A school-by-school list of public-school head coaches’ bonus data follows for those whose teams are in contention for the CFP.

It is alphabetical, by school. It shows amounts coaches have achieved and still can achieve, but it does not include bonuses for team academic achievements. Possible amounts for conference and national coach-of-the-year awards are not included.

Unless noted, the amounts that still can be achieved are cumulative.

Bonuses for coaches at private schools are not available because those schools are not subject to open-records laws. The private schools with teams in playoff contention are Miami (Fla.), Notre Dame, Southern Methodist and Tulane.

Alabama: Kalen DeBoer

Has earned ($0):

No bonuses earned.

Can get:

►$150,000: Play in College Football Playoff

►$100,000: CFP quarterfinal

►$150,000: CFP semifinal

►$200,000: CFP title game

►$275,000: Win CFP title

Arizona State: Kenny Dillingham

Has earned ($995,000):

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-College Football Playoff bowl game

►$200,000: Ninth regular season win

►$300,000: 10th regular season win

►$395,000: Play in Big 12 Conference title game

►$50,000: Big 12 coach of the year

Can get:

►Best of:

--$50,000: Win non-CFP bowl game, OR:

--Cumulatively:

*$395,000: Win Big 12 title

*$1,135,000: Play in CFP

*$197,500: CFP semifinal

*$197,500: CFP title game

*$395,000: Win CFP title

►Best of, based on highest final ranking by CFP, in US LBM Coaches Poll or AP media poll:

--$39,500: Top 25

--$79,000: Top 10

--$118,500: Top 5

Army: Jeff Monken

(Note: If team’s multi-year NCAA Academic Progress Rate is less than 975, Monken’s bonuses would be reduced by various percentages, depending on the APR figure.)

Has earned ($300,000):

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Seventh regular season win

►$75,000: Win over Air Force

►$25,000: Eighth regular season win

►$25,000: Ninth regular season win

►$50,000: 10th regular season win

Can get:

►$50,000: Win American Athletic Conference title

►$50,000: Top 25 final ranking by CFP or in US LMB Coaches Poll or AP media poll

►$125,000: Beat Navy, which this year would give Army the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy for winning the service academies’ annual football round-robin series

►Best of:

--50,000: Win non-CFP bowl game, OR:

--Cumulatively:

*$100,000: Play in CFP

 *$50,000: CFP quarterfinal

 *$100,000: CFP semifinal

 *$150,000: Play in CFP title game

Boise State: Spencer Danielson

Has earned ($121,000):

►$11,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$11,000: Sixth Mountain West Conference win

►$22,000: American Football Coaches Association regional coach of the year

►$11,000: Seventh Mountain West win

►$44,000: Play in Mountain West title game

►$22,000: Mountain West coach of the year

Can get:

►Best of:

--$66,000: Win Mountain West title

--$22,000: Win non-CFP bowl game

►Best of:

--$88,000: Play in College Football Playoff

 --$110,000: CFP quarterfinal

--$132,000: CFP semifinal

--$176,000: CFP title game

--$220,000: Win CFP title

Clemson: Dabo Swinney

Has earned ($125,000):

►$75,000: Eligible for non-CFP bowl game with at least eight wins

►$50,000: Play in Atlantic Coast Conference title game

Can get:

►$200,000: Win ACC title

►$75,000: Play in College Football Playoff

►$250,000: CFP semifinal

►$250,000: CFP title game

►$350,000: Win CFP title

Georgia: Kirby Smart

Has earned ($175,000):

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Eighth win, sets up team for Southeastern Conference Pool of Six bowl

►$100,000: Play in SEC title game

Can get:

►$200,000: Win SEC title

►$175,000: Play in College Football Playoff

►$250,000: CFP quarterfinal

►$250,000: CFP semifinal

►$100,000: CFP title game

►$400,000: Win CFP title

Indiana: Curt Cignetti

Has earned ($900,000):

►One-year contract extension; $250,000 raise, beginning next season; $200,000 bonus this season: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game (Agreement set to run through Nov. 30, 2030. Scheduled total pay for that season would be $5.1 million, with $3.3 million guaranteed.)

Note: After Cignetti reached this goal, he and school agreed on new contract that is longer and more lucrative.

►$100,000: Fifth Big Ten Conference win

►$50,000: Sixth Big Ten win

►$500,000: Finish among top two in final Big Ten regular season standings

►$50,000: Big Ten coach of the year, media and coaches’ votes

Can get:

►Best of:

--50,000: Win non-CFP bowl game, OR:

--Cumulatively:

*$500,000: Play in CFP

Note: Team’s participation in CFP also would result in school’s buyout for firing Cignetti without cause increasing from 85% of the amount remaining under the agreement to 100% of the amount remaining. (As of Dec. 6, 2024, that difference is nearly $9.5 million.)

*$100,000: CFP quarterfinal

*$100,000: CFP semifinal

*$300,000: Play in CFP title game

*$1,000,000: Win CFP title

Iowa State: Matt Campbell

Has earned ($1,300,000):

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$250,000: Seventh regular season win

►$250,000: Eighth regular season win

►$250,000: Ninth regular season win

►$250,000: 10th regular season win

►$250,000: Play in Big 12 Conference title game after team tied for first place in regular season conference standings

Can get:

►$250,000: Win Big 12 title after team tied for first place in regular season standings

►$100,000: Win CFP title

Ohio State: Ryan Day

Has earned ($0):

No bonuses earned.

Can get:

►$100,000: Play in College Football Playoff

►$150,000: CFP quarterfinal

►$100,000: CFP semifinal

►$150,000: CFP title game

►$500,000: Win CFP title

Oregon: Dan Lanning

Has earned ($500,000):

►One-year contract extension: 10th regular season win (Contract now set to run through Jan. 31, 2031. Extension now scheduled to pay $9,400,000, all guaranteed.)

►$200,000: 11th regular season win

►$100,000: Play in Big Ten championship game

►$200,000: 12th regular season win

Can get:

►$150,000: Win Big Ten title

►$150,000: Play in College Football Playoff

►$50,000: CFP quarterfinal

►$50,000: CFP semifinal

►$250,000: CFP title game

►$500,000: Win CFP title

Note: Team winning CFP title also would result in Lanning receiving a $500,000 pay increase, beginning with the start of his next contract year, Feb. 1, 2025. He would be set to make $8.9 million in that contract year, and this increase would add a total of $3 million to the guaranteed value of the agreement.

Penn State: James Franklin

(Note: Penn State announced on Nov. 29, 2024, that Franklin's bonus package has been revised to address a 12-team CFP. The university made no details available. The bonuses listed here are from a term sheet the university previously had released rather than a full-form contract.)

Has earned ($450,000):

►$200,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$250,000: Play in Big Ten title game

Can get:

►School declined to disclose

Tennessee: Josh Heupel

Has earned ($100,000):

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Can get:

►$100,000: Play in College Football Playoff

►$50,000: CFP quarterfinal

►$50,000: CFP semifinal

►$100,000: CFP title game

►$600,000: Win CFP title

►Best of, based on highest final ranking by CFP, US LBM Coaches Poll or AP media poll:

--$50,000: Top 25

--$100,000: Top 10

--$150,000: Top 5

Texas: Steve Sarkisian

Has earned ($250,000):

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$150,000: Play in SEC title game

Can get:

►$150,000: Win SEC title

►$150,000: Play in College Football Playoff

►$250,000: CFP quarterfinal

►$250,000: CFP semifinal

►$250,000: CFP title game

►$250,000: Win CFP title

UNLV: Barry Odom

Has earned ($75,000):

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Play in Mountain West title game

Can get:

►$50,000: Win Mountain West title

►$50,000: Play in College Football Playoff

►$100,000: CFP quarterfinal

►$100,000: CFP semifinal

►$100,000: CFP title game

►$100,000: Win CFP title

►$25,000: Top 25 ranking in the final US LBM Coaches Poll or AP media poll

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football coaches with playoff bonuses available in Week 15