Given that the ultimate goal in sports is winning games, a cost per win approach to analyzing big expenditures can be telling. In college football, as in many big-money sports, the head coach’s salary is where a huge chunk of the investment in winning goes.
Which teams got the most bang for their buck this past season?
An answer can be formulated by taking the “school pay” amount from USA Today’s latest College Football Head Coach Salaries database and dividing it by the number of wins each head coach achieved in 2022. Though far from a perfect methodology it does give us a glimpse into return on investment.
From a big picture standpoint, of the 120 FBS teams included in the study, only 19 (or 15 percent) paid one million-plus per win in head-coaching dollars in 2022. Of these anomalies, most of which spent the season on the struggle bus, only one finished with a winning record. That was Alabama, which went 10-4 under Nick Saban yet still paid 1.07 million head-coaching dollars per win. Compare that to Oregon, which went 10-3 under head coach Dan Lanning and spent only 470,000 in head-coaching dollars per win.
On the other end of the spectrum, only 11 clubs – all Group of 5 members – paid a rate of fewer than 100,000 dollars per win in 2022. Of these – most of which over-achieved – only two finished under .500: Miami Ohio went 6-7 under Chuck Martin, forking over $93,333 per win and Bowling Green which also finished 6-7, paid $89,906 per win in Scot Loeffler dollars.
The 11 programs not included in the study were Notre Dame, Air Force, TCU, Temple, Army, Miami Fla., Vanderbilt, SMU, Duke, USC, and BYU.
POWER 5
Best Value: Kalen DeBoer, Washington (11-2), $289,819 per win
Worst Value: Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern (1-11), $5.4 million per win
CFP National Champion: Kirby Smart, Georgia (15-0), $683,573 per win
ACC
Best Value: Scott Satterfield, Louisville (8-5), $406,250 per win
Satterfield left Louisville for Cincinnati at the end of the 2022 regular season.
Worst Value: Tony Elliott, Virginia (3-7), $1.5 million per win
ACC Champion: Dabo Swinney, Clemson (11-3), $955,325 per win
BIG TEN
Best Value: Mike Locksley, Maryland (8-5), $500,000 per win
Worst Value: Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern (1-11), $5.4 million per win
Big Ten Champion: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan (13-1), $619,538 per win
BIG 12
Best Value: Chris Klieman, Kansas State (10-4), $370,000 per win
Worst Value: Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State (6-7), $1.25 million per win
Big 12 Champion: Chris Klieman, Kansas State (10-4), $370,000 per win
PAC-12
Best Value: Kalen DeBoer, Washington (11-2), $281,819 per win
Worst Value: Karl Dorrell, Colorado (1-11), $3.6 million per win
Dorrell was released after a 0-5 start in 2022.
Pac-12 Champion: Kyle Whittingham (10-4), $600,000 per win
SEC
Best Value: Shane Beamer, South Carolina (8-5), $343,750 per win
Worst Value: Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M (5-7), $1.8 million per win
SEC Champion: Kirby Smart, Georgia (15-0), $683,573 per win
GROUP OF 5
Best Value: Tim Albin, Ohio (10-4), $54,570 per win
Worst Value: Jeff Scott, South Florida (1-11), $2.4 million per win
Scott was released after a 1-8 start in 2022.
AAC
Best Value: Willie Fritz, Tulane (12-2), $180,583 per win
Worst Value: Jeff Scott, South Florida (1-11), $2.4 million per win
Scott was released after a 1-8 start in 2022.
AAC Champion: Willie Fritz, Tulane (12-2), $180,583 per win
C-USA
Best Value: Bryant Vincent, UAB (7-6), $59,464 per win
Vincent was the interim head coach at UAB in 2022, filling in after Bill Clark retired. He’s now the OC at New Mexico.
Worst Value: Sonny Cumbie, Louisiana Tech (3-9), $300,000 per win
C-USA Champion: Jeff Traylor, UTSA (11-3), $227,273 per win
MAC
Best Value: Tim Albin, Ohio (10-4), $54,570 per win
Worst Value: Joe Moorhead, Akron (2-10), $250,000 per win
MAC Champion: Jason Candle, Toledo (9-5), $130,556 per win
MWC
Best Value: Andy Avalos, Boise State (10-4), $147,500 per win
Worst Value: Jay Norvell, Colorado State (3-9), $533,333 per win
MWC Champion: Jeff Tedford, Fresno State (10-4), $150,000 per win
SUN BELT
Best Value: Jon Sumrall, Troy (12-2), $68,750 per win
Worst Value: Butch Jones, Arkansas State (3-9), $275,000 per win
Sun Belt Champion: Jon Sumrall, Troy (12-2), $68,750 per win