Think things are tough around here?

Harry · November 30, 2012

What's the market price for an easy home win in college football? The Southern Miss Golden Eagles have made a deal to move next season's opener—a long-anticipated matchup against Nebraska in Hattiesburg—to Nebraska instead. In a letter between the schools' athletic directors dated last week, which was viewed by Deadspin, Southern Miss agreed to sell home-field advantage to the Cornhuskers for $2,125,000, which is almost exactly the amount Southern Miss owes to its newly fired football coach.

The contract, sent from Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne to Southern Miss AD Jeff Hammond, serves as an amendment to a three-year deal signed in 2008. It was officially signed by USM's president this morning. Here's how it reads:

The location for the game shall be changed from M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, MS to Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, NE.

The visiting team (the University of Southern Mississippi) shall be paid a flat dollar guarantee of $2,125,000,00.

On Tuesday, USM announced the firing of coach Ellis Johnson. For a debt-ridden athletics department, the cost of buying out the remaining three years of his contract is steep: $2.1 million. Funny how things work out.

* * *

It's not a secret that schools rent out their programs to act as home punching bags for big programs, nor is it a surprise how much money is at stake. But it's instructive to see the bald calculus of college sports: Southern Miss, forced by the shame of a winless year to swallow a coach's contract, is able to turn around days later and sign a deal that completely covers its expenses.

A year ago, this would've been inconceivable. Southern Miss, a cupcake on someone else's schedule? Last December, the Golden Eagles were on top of the world: a surprise 12-2 season, a Conference USA title, and a bowl victory to top off their 18th consecutive winning campaign. They finished the year ranked No. 20 by the AP, their high-water mark of the century. They had a hot-shot, in-demand coach, a skilled roster, an athletic director who was happy to put money into the program, and nowhere to go but down.

Richard Giannini had held the AD position since 1999, but football's fortunes really began to soar with the hiring of Larry Fedora as coach for the 2008 season. Fedora recruited USM's first five-star prospect in recent memory, and installed a spread offense that gave Southern Miss its four highest-scoring seasons in school history. But it was a four-year plan, and last year's success was built on the back of a senior-heavy team. And it became just a matter of time before Fedora was poached by a bigger program.

Read more: http://deadspin.com/5964003/to-buy-out-failed-coach-southern-miss-sold-home+field-advantage-back-to-nebraska-for-21-million

UNT90 · November 30, 2012

What's the market price for an easy home win in college football? The Southern Miss Golden Eagles have made a deal to move next season's opener—a long-anticipated matchup against Nebraska in Hattiesburg—to Nebraska instead. In a letter between the schools' athletic directors dated last week, which was viewed by Deadspin, Southern Miss agreed to sell home-field advantage to the Cornhuskers for $2,125,000, which is almost exactly the amount Southern Miss owes to its newly fired football coach.

The contract, sent from Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne to Southern Miss AD Jeff Hammond, serves as an amendment to a three-year deal signed in 2008. It was officially signed by USM's president this morning. Here's how it reads:

The location for the game shall be changed from M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, MS to Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, NE.

The visiting team (the University of Southern Mississippi) shall be paid a flat dollar guarantee of $2,125,000,00.

On Tuesday, USM announced the firing of coach Ellis Johnson. For a debt-ridden athletics department, the cost of buying out the remaining three years of his contract is steep: $2.1 million. Funny how things work out.

* * *
It's not a secret that schools rent out their programs to act as home punching bags for big programs, nor is it a surprise how much money is at stake. But it's instructive to see the bald calculus of college sports: Southern Miss, forced by the shame of a winless year to swallow a coach's contract, is able to turn around days later and sign a deal that completely covers its expenses.

A year ago, this would've been inconceivable. Southern Miss, a cupcake on someone else's schedule? Last December, the Golden Eagles were on top of the world: a surprise 12-2 season, a Conference USA title, and a bowl victory to top off their 18th consecutive winning campaign. They finished the year ranked No. 20 by the AP, their high-water mark of the century. They had a hot-shot, in-demand coach, a skilled roster, an athletic director who was happy to put money into the program, and nowhere to go but down.

Richard Giannini had held the AD position since 1999, but football's fortunes really began to soar with the hiring of Larry Fedora as coach for the 2008 season. Fedora recruited USM's first five-star prospect in recent memory, and installed a spread offense that gave Southern Miss its four highest-scoring seasons in school history. But it was a four-year plan, and last year's success was built on the back of a senior-heavy team. And it became just a matter of time before Fedora was poached by a bigger program.

Read more: http://deadspin.com/...-for-21-million

Man, it's like we are firing a head coach every football season around here. ;-)

EDIT: So, let me get this straight. A CUSA school CAN fire a head coach 1 year into his contract for underperformance? Carry on...

Edited December 1, 2012 by UNT90

UNTFan23 · November 30, 2012

What in interesting story line (if true).

UNTLifer · December 1, 2012

Man, it's like we are firing a head coach every football season around here. ;-)

EDIT: So, let me get this straight. A CUSA school CAN fire a head coach 1 year into his contract for underperformance? Carry on...

Yep, by whoring itself out.