College football is big business. What was once a sport confined to Saturdays, you can now find college football games on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and even occasionally Wednesday. Television revenue is big business for the NCAA and with increased audiences tuning in, coaches of the country's biggest programs are expected to vie for their conference titles year in and year out. For some schools, the goal is the national championship or jobs are on the line.
The 25 highest-paid college football coaches come from the biggest conferences. There are nine SEC coaches, five coaches from both the Pac-12 and Big Ten, and three coaches from both the ACC and Big 12 on this list. Among them there are 10 national championships from current coaches for Clemson, Florida State, Ohio State, and Alabama. Among the coaches on this list, Alabama's Nick Saban and Ohio State's Urban Meyer are the winningest and their salaries reflect that. Salaries for the highest paid coaches in college football range from $3.6 million for UCLA's Jim Mora to $11.1 million for Alabama's Nick Saban.
Top 25 Highest Paid College Football Coaches:
#25. Jim Mora
Salary: $3.6 million
School: UCLA
Conference: Pac-12
Potential Bonus: $1.1 million
Conference Championships: 0
National Championships: 0
#24. Kyle Whittingham
Salary: $3.7 million
School: Utah
Conference: Pac-12
Potential Bonus: $935,000
Conference Championships: 5
National Championships: 0
#23. Kirby Smart
Salary: $3.8 million
School: Georgia
Conference: SEC
Potential Bonus: $1.8 million
Conference Championships: 0
National Championships: 0
#22. Mark Stoops
Salary: $3.8 million
School: Kentucky
Conference: SEC
Potential Bonus: $3.1 million
Conference Championships: 0
National Championships: 0
#21. Bobby Petrino
Salary: $3.9 million
School: Louisville
Conference: ACC
Potential Bonus: $1.5 million
Conference Championships: 1
National Championships: 0
#20.Butch Jones
Salary: $4.1 million
School: Tennessee
Conference: SEC
Potential Bonus: $1.0 million
Conference Championships: 4
National Championships: 0
#19. Chris Petersen
Salary: $4.1 million
School: Washington
Conference: Pac-12
Potential Bonus: $1.1 million
Conference Championships: 6
National Championships:0
#18. Mike Gundy
Salary: $4.2 million
School: Oklahoma State
Conference: Big 12
Potential Bonus: $900,000
Conference Championships: 1
National Championships: 0
#17. Bret Bielema
Salary: $4.2 million
School: Arkansas
Conference: SEC
Potential Bonus: $1.0 million
Conference Championships: 3
National Championships:0
#16. Mark Dantonio
Salary: $4.4 million
School: Michigan State
Conference: Big Ten
Potential Bonus: $650,000
Conference Championships: 3
National Championships: 0
#15. Jim McElwain
Salary: $4.5 million
School: Florida
Conference: SEC
Potential Bonus: $925,000
Conference Championships: 0
National Championships: 0
#14. Dan Mullen
Salary: $4.5 million
School: Mississippi State
Conference: SEC
Potential Bonus: $1.2 million
Conference Championships: 0
National Championships: 0
#13. Kirk Ferentz
Salary: $4.5 million
School: Iowa
Conference: Big Ten
Potential Bonus: $2.9 million
Conference Championships: 2
National Championships: 0
#12. James Franklin
Salary: $4.6 million
School: Penn State
Conference: Big Ten
Potential Bonus: $1.0 million
Conference Championships: 1
National Championships: 0
#11. Gus Malzahn
Salary: $4.7 million
School: Auburn
Conference: SEC
Potential Bonus: $1.4 million
Conference Championships: 2
National Championships: 0
#10. Kevin Sumlin
Salary: $5.0 million
School: Texas A&M
Conference: SEC
Potential Bonus: $1.1 million
Conference Championships: 0
National Championships: 0
#9. Gary Patterson
Salary: $5.1 million
School: Texas Christian
Conference: Big 12
Potential Bonus: not available
Conference Championships: 6
National Championships: 0
#8. Tom Herman
Salary: $5.5 million
School: Texas
Conference: Big 12
Potential Bonus: $725,000
Conference Championships: 0
National Championships: 0
#7. David Shaw
Salary: $5.7 million
School: Stanford
Conference: Pac-12
Potential Bonus: not available
Conference Championships: 3
National Championships: 0
#6. Jimbo Fisher
Salary: $5.7 million
School: Florida State
Conference: ACC
Potential Bonus: $1.5 million
Conference Championships: 3
National Championships: 1
#5. Rich Rodriguez
Salary: $6.0 million
School: Arizona
Conference: Pac-12
Potential Bonus: $2.0 million
Conference Championships: 0
National Championships: 0
#4. Urban Meyer
Salary: $6.4 million
School: Ohio State
Conference: Big Ten
Potential Bonus: $775,000
Conference Championships: 5
National Championships: 3
#3. Jim Harbaugh
Salary: $7.0 million
School: Michigan
Conference: Big Ten
Potential Bonus: $1.3 million
Conference Championships: 0
National Championships: 0
#2. Dabo Swinney
Salary: $8.5 million
School: Clemson
Conference: ACC
Potential Bonus: $1.0 million
Conference Championships: 3
National Championships: 1
#1. Nick Saban
Salary: $11.1 million
School: Alabama
Conference: SEC
Potential Bonus: $700,000
Conference Championships: 8
National Championships: 5