The Cost of Winning Football Games Is Going Up, Pokes Will Need To Pay

STILLWATER – Lost in the euphoria on Saturday of No. 9 Oklahoma State beating No. 5 Notre Dame 37-35 in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl was the price of being a blue blood in college football. Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy talked about it throughout the bowl season. The head coach who just finished his seventeenth season at his alma mater has taken the program to 16-straight winning seasons and bowl appearances, and capped the 2021 season off with a second all-time school-best 12-win season and a 37-35 win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.

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Cowboys slot receiver Brennan Presley with a big catch in the win over Notre Dame.

Gundy met with several of the beat media on Sunday morning in the lobby of the Oklahoma State team hotel, The Scottsdale Plaza Resort. The media asked what Gundy meant by Oklahoma State having a chance and what he was asking for to give the Cowboys a seat at college football’s blue blood table. Afterall, his team this season beat Texas in Austin, Oklahoma in Bedlam in Stillwater, and then the Irish in the bowl game. Oklahoma State fans can pinch themselves, with one Poke fan taking an ice bath to pay off bets after the Oklahoma State 21-point comeback in the Fiesta Bowl.

I equate it to taking your chips in the poker game call Power Five college football and instead of matching the bet instead you take your chips and push them into the middle of the table and say you are “all in.”

Oklahoma State has never been “all in”. In 2020 the Oklahoma State football program, according to the University’s financial report, made $53.5-million and the budget for football that year was $24.4 million. By the way, for that same year, Oklahoma State’s vanquished bowl opponent Notre Dame had a budget of $50.2 million. Notre Dame spent about what the Cowboys brought in. The OSU numbers are straight finances and don’t count any major gifts that donors might make. This is ticket, television, radio, bowl, and all conference revenue connected to football. The expenses are salaries, supplies, travel, and all other costs of keeping a football team going.

It is hard to get great accurate numbers on football budgets, football only. I did run into an athletic director’s analysis that had the average football budgets for major schools between 2014-2018. Here is a list of schools that might be interesting.

Now in these days of escalating salaries for both head coaches, assistant coaches, and support staffs, which also continue to increase in size; the continuing facility building; and increased player benefits from stipends to NIL it has become even more imperative to be one of the haves. Players have more choices and faster ability to make those with the transfer portal.

Players want to go to the programs that are big brands and recognized that way. Coaches’ salaries are being pitched out there like medals on a uniform. Nick Saban makes the most at Alabama as close to $12 million, but how about some of these recent raises passed out.

*denotes first-time college head coach

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Castiglione giving Venables a $7.5-million pool for assistant coaches is major.

What is even more critical is the pools of money being paid out for the 10-member full-time coaching staffs. Miami, Fla. is said to have given head coach Mario Cristobal a pool of $8 million. That is $8 million for 10 positions. Obviously, you are paying your coordinators more, but the average would be $750,000 per assistant coach. Brent Venables at Oklahoma has been given a pool of $7.5 million for his coaching staff. New Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire is making $3 million, but he has a poll of 4.3 million for his staff. That is over the current Oklahoma State pool.

Now, my understanding is Oklahoma State University President Dr. Kayse Shrum and athletics director Chad Weiberg understand fully. They know the importance of football and how critical it is for the future of the University and all of Oklahoma State University athletics.

As we speak schools are looking at potential hires and just like with Jim Knowles going to Ohio State, schools recognize the success of the Cowboys and how valuable the of the staff Mike Gundy has assembled. To borrow a phrase from the show and apparel company Under Armour, “You must protect this House.”

Mike Gundy has said it. The numbers prove it. The college football world knows it. Oklahoma State has overachieved and pushed their way to the brink of the sports’ penthouse by working hard and climbing the stairs. In order to get in and stay in, Oklahoma State needs to go “all in.”