Big bonus bucks on line for winning coaches in College Football Playoff

Coaching their teams to victory in Saturday’s College Football Playoff semifinals would mean a great deal to Alabama’s Nick Saban and Ohio State’s Urban Meyer.

It would mean even more to Washington’s Chris Petersen, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Clemson’s athletics department.

Swinney and Petersen each stand to add at least $450,000 to their bonus totals by winning — two of the largest amounts a public-school football coach can get this season for a single achievement.

If Clemson defeats Ohio State, Swinney will get $400,000 for leading the Tigers to the championship game. He’ll also all but assure himself of the $200,000 bonus he receives if Clemson is among the top five teams in the season’s final version of either the Amway Coaches poll or the Associated Press media poll, as opposed to the $100,000 he gets for a top-10 finish.

DATABASE: NCAA football coaches salaries

In addition, Clemson’s decision this year to buy insurance to cover potentially huge bonuses to Swinney and other athletics staffers would pay off. In October, Clemson assistant athletics director Eric George told USA TODAY Sports that if the Tigers made the CFP title game but lost, the insurance would save the school more than $500,000 compared to where it would have stood without buying the insurance.

If Washington upsets top-ranked Alabama, Petersen will get $450,000 for the Huskies’ advance to the title game.

Swinney and Petersen would get additional incentive money for winning the CFP championship, but those amounts are smaller — $50,000 for Petersen, $100,000 for Swinney.

Other coaches have contracts that allow them to total more bonus money in a season than Swinney or Petersen can, but few of those incentives can be earned in chunks larger than those Swinney and Petersen can claim Saturday. Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz and Virginia’s Bronco Mendenhall each can get $1 million more for winning a national championship than they can if their team finishes as the national runner-up. Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre’s contract does not include an amount for reaching the title game, but it would give him $750,000 specifically for the Buffaloes winning the national championship. Louisville’s Bobby Petrino can get $500,000 if the football team’s single-year NCAA Academic Progress Rate is at least 935, Arizona’s Rich Rodriguez and Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh can get that amount for a national title and Ferentz can get that amount for any season in which Iowa wins at least eight games.

Ohio State’s Meyer would get an additional $100,000 if the Buckeyes reach the CFP final, but gets no more for the championship.

Saban would add $100,000 for advancing to the title game and another $100,000 if the Crimson Tide win it.

Assistant coaches, football staffers and other athletics department personnel also can gain if their teams win Saturday. Ohio State athletics director Gene Smith would get an additional $15,000 if the Buckeyes go to the CFP title game. Alabama AD Bill Battle would get an additional $10,000 if the Crimson Tide wins the championship.

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Below are details of bonuses achieved and available to head coaches whose teams are in the CFP semifinals, based on documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

 ALABAMA’S NICK SABAN

HAS…

►$125,000: Win SEC title

►$200,000: Play in CFP semifinals

CAN GET…

►$100,000: Play in CFP title game

►$100,000: Win CFP title

 CLEMSON’S DABO SWINNEY

HAS…

►$150,000: Win ACC title

►$150,000: 11 regular-season wins

►$400,000: Play in CFP semifinals

CAN GET…

►$400,000: Play in CFP title game

►$100,000: Win CFP title

►One of the following, based on team’s ranking in the final Amway Coaches or AP poll:

--$50,000: No. 15-11

--$100,000: No. 10-6

--$200,000: Top 5

 OHIO STATE’S URBAN MEYER

HAS…

►$50,000: Big Ten East Division co-champ

►$250,000: Play in CFP semifinals

CAN GET…

►$100,000: Play in CFP title game

 WASHINGTON’S CHRIS PETERSEN

HAS…

►$150,000: Win Pac-12 title

►$400,000: Play in CFP semifinals

CAN GET

►$450,000: Play in CFP title game

►$50,000: Win CFP title

Note: This does not take into account contingencies that could alter or prevent payment of bonuses (i.e. academic achievement, coach’s departure, future investigations and/ or sanctions). Does not include bonuses for coaching honors, team academics, or the value of tickets and perks tied to participation in postseason games.

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