Shortened seasons and limited ticket sales last year forced many schools to "plead poverty and cut costs amid COVID-19," but at the same time, the "money train for football coaches kept accelerating at many schools," according to Schrotenboer & Berkowitz of USA TODAY. In '19, the last season before the pandemic, 16 coaches made at least $5M in "guaranteed annual pay, up from three in 2013." This year, 21 "will make that much," including at least seven coaches who "got richer new contract terms during the pandemic." It was "business as usual at these places despite the cutbacks or maybe even because of them" -- paid for with the "help of donations, cost savings, reserves, loans and even some federal COVID relief funds." From a business standpoint, it might seem like a "no-brainer for them to keep pumping money into football, the primary revenue driver of athletics departments." But doing so against the backdrop of COVID cutbacks "created a 'bewildering' dissonance" (USA TODAY, 10/15).
| SCHOOL | COACH | SCHOOL PAY | TOTAL PAY |
| Alabama | Nick Saban | $9,500,000 | $9,753,221 |
| LSU | Ed Orgeron | $8,387,500 | $9,012,917 |
| Stanford | David Shaw | $8,924,683 | $8,924,683 |
| Clemson | Dabo Swinney | $8,258,575 | $8,370,775 |
| Oklahoma | Lincoln Riley | $7,642,710 | $7,672,710 |
| Florida | Dan Mullen | $7,570,000 | $7,570,000 |
| Texas A&M | Jimbo Fisher | $7,500,000 | $7,500,000 |
| Georgia | Kirby Smart | $7,003,600 | $7,133,600 |
| Ohio State | Ryan Day | $6,614,693 | $6,614,693 |
| Texas Christian | Gary Patterson | $6,103,543 | $6,103,543 |
| Northwestern | Pat Fitzgerald | $5,748,179 | $5,748,179 |
| UCLA | Chip Kelly | $5,600,000 | $5,600,000 |
| Michigan State | Mel Tucker | $5,466,303 | $5,566,303 |
| Texas | Steve Sarkisian | $5,450,000 | $5,450,000 |
| Kentucky | Mark Stoops | $5,250,000 | $5,263,600 |
| Utah | Kyle Whittingham | $5,200,000 | $5,200,000 |
| Nebraska | Scott Frost | $5,000,000 | $5,000,000 |
| Iowa | Kirk Ferentz | $5,000,000 | $5,000,000 |
| Auburn | Bryan Harsin | $5,000,000 | $5,000,000 |
| Mississippi State | Mike Leach | $5,000,000 | $5,000,000 |
