There is a lot to come with winning your conference championship.
It gives you momentum into the bowl season or a chance at the College Football Playoff. It may help sway recruits to a school on early National Signing Day on Dec. 18.
But winning your conference championship means more money for the head coach’s wallet, too. That includes Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley, according to documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports.
Already accruing $75,000 worth of bonuses for being bowl eligible and making the Big 12 Championship game, Riley could triple that number by the weekend’s end.
With a win, Oklahoma’s head coach is guaranteed a $50,000 bonus. If LSU beats Georgia, Riley would earn another $50,000 for finishing at least fifth in the College Football Playoff rankings. If Utah loses to Oregon or the College Football Playoff committee chooses Oklahoma over Utah with both winning their respective conference championships, he would earn another $125,000 for making the College Football Playoff semifinal.
Later down the road, Riley could make another $175,000 for winning a College Football Playoff semifinal. For a national championship win, another $400,000 bonus would await Oklahoma’s head coach.
If Oklahoma beats Baylor, but does not make the College Football Playoff, Riley would only receive $75,000 for making a New Year’s Six bowl, and then another $100,000 if Oklahoma won that bowl.
No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 7 Baylor kickoff from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, at 11 a.m. CT (TV on FOX).