USA Today’s latest college football coaching salary database is out

Every year, USA Today puts together a fancy database of coaching salaries, and every year, it’s fun to examine the numbers behind the big business that is college football. According to the database, Mark Stoops is the 26th highest paid coach in the country, pulling in a $3,513,600 salary this year. If that seems high, it’s worth noting that Stoops’ salary is only the 11th highest in the SEC behind Butch Jones and Kirby Smart, and ahead of Will Muschamp, Derek Mason, and Barry Odom.

The highest paid coach in college football? No, it’s not Nick Saban. It’s Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, who will make $9 million this year. Saban is second with $6.94 million, followed by Ohio State’s Urban Meyer at $6.09 million and Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops at $5.55 million. As the adults trying to sound hip would say, that’s a lotta cheddar.

Earlier this season, much was made about Mark Stoops’ $14 million buyout. According to this database, Stoops’ buyout is the 16th highest in the country this year, ahead of Penn State’s James Franklin, Georgia’s Kirby Smart, and Louisville’s Bobby Petrino.

Check out the rest of the buyouts here and the entire database here. And then feel poor.