College Football Playoff National Championship: How much money is at stake?
Payout amounts vary significantly for a number of reasons
Monday night marks the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship between the Clemson Tigers and LSU Tigers. Both teams brought home $6 million for each of their conferences during the semifinals, as did the other two semifinalists, the Ohio State Buckeyes and Oklahoma Sooners.
According to the College Football Playoff's distribution policies, $6 million is the cap for "conferences whose teams qualify for the national championship game."
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Under current terms, Clemson Tigers will have to split its winnings evenly among 14 member institutions in the Atlantic Coast Conference as a form of participation reimbursement for the bowl. However, the team will be able to keep about $428,571 in addition to an expense allotment.
For the LSU Tigers, the Southeastern Conference will allow the team to keep $2,050,000 as semifinalists and an additional $2,150,000 for making it to the championship. The remaining $1,800,000 will be divided 15 ways for each member institution and the conference. Additionally, the SEC reimburses bowl expenses $250 per mile for the first 1,000 miles and $375 per mile after 1,000 miles.
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Just like the Clemson Tigers, the Ohio State Buckeyes will not get awarded additional monies since bowl game revenue is divided evenly among all new member institutions under the Big Ten Conference. Unlike what the conference name suggests, there are 14 member institutions in the Big Ten, meaning Ohio State will receive around $428,571 given there aren't any large expenses.
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The Oklahoma Sooners will be able to keep a $2 million participation subsidy under the Big 12 Conference. The other $4 million goes to the conference and will get split 10 ways for member institutions. There is a travel bowl reimbursement of $185 per one-way mile as well.
It's not just the semifinalists that are taking home an impressive amount from the annual playoff. The Penn State Nittany Lions and Memphis Tigers will walk away with $4 million for their non-playoff appearance in the Cotton Bowl, per the same College Football Playoff distribution policies.
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The contract-backed Orange, Rose and Sugar bowls provide a substantial payout that combines each conference a base and full academic performance pool that is said to be about $66 million, according to the distribution policies. The non-contracted conferences will take home about $90 million.
Although there is no cash prize for winning the final, the team that wins the national championship can usually increase revenue through merchandise sales and higher ticket demand. Football-loving alumni may also feel more inclined to donate to a winning team.
Trevor Lawrence, Chase Brice, Taisun Phommachanh and Ben Batson of Clemson celebrate their team's 29-23 win over Ohio State in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 28, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images)
Coaches also have a large stake in championship wins. In fact, the collective coaching staff that had a part in this College Football Playoff season will rake in more than $27 million, according to a report in The Washington Post.
The Clemson Tigers have the highest-paid coach out of a list of 130 recorded NCAAF salaries compiled by USA Today, which sourced this information through obtained contracts. Head coach Dabo Swinney has made a total of $9,315,600 in 2019. Additionally, Swinney will receive a $150,000 bonus for Clemson's win at the ACC championship and another $150,000 for the team making it to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
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Ed Orgeron of the LSU Tigers is the 30th highest-paid coach on the list with a total of $4 million made in 2019. He will also receive a $200,000 bonus for LSU's win at the SEC championship and another $225,000 for the team making it to the same semifinal.
Depending on which team wins may mean a nice pay increase for the following season.