Oregon’s dream season just got straight-up slapped. Ohio State rolled in and handed them a diabolical 41-21 L in the Rose Bowl, crashing that perfect 13-0 run—and with it, Dan Lanning’s shot at a fat bonus. The Ducks were riding high after that Big 10 Championship, but Ryan Day’s crew came through like a wrecking ball. Dan Lanning was looking at nearly a mil in bonuses if he sealed the deal in Pasadena, but now? He’s stuck with just his base salary, additional Playoff appearances and season bonuses of 850k. No extra cash for that victory lap—talk about a brutal New Year’s reality check. Meanwhile, Ryan Day’s 100k richer than in 2024 after advancing the Buckeyes to the Semi-finals (Cotton Bowl Classic).

Lanning’s contract was pretty much set to make him a mini-king in college football if his Ducks kept that undefeated streak alive. They were 13-0, Big 10 champs, and cruising into the Rose Bowl with a chance to snag an extra $250K. But nah, Ryan Day’s squad wasn’t having it. They handed Oregon a loss that knocked them out of the undefeated club — and stripped Lanning of that bonus like a scam artist at a carnival. That’s gotta sting for Lanning, who was about to fatten his pockets with that $250K boost. Instead? He’s watching his team get steamrolled by a squad that made it look easy.

Now, for Lanning, the $850K he racked up in bonuses this season — it’s ain’t no small change. Still, that extra $250K was the cherry on top. If he had made it to the National Championship, Dan would’ve received another 500k. Guess that ain’t happening now. Anyway, Oregon’s perfect season had all the potential to secure that jackpot and more, but Ohio State came out like they had something to prove. No wonder Day’s celebrating his team’s Rose Bowl victory; they didn’t just win; they played spoiler and tossed Lanning’s dreams into the gutter with a single game. You love to see it if you are a Buckeyes fan.

Ryan Day’s Playoff Bonuses

Now let’s talk about Ryan Day. The man came through and turned a nightmare for Lanning into a celebration for himself. By taking down Oregon, Day and the Buckeyes secured a trip to the College Football Playoff semifinals, which is worth a $100,000 bonus for the coach. That’s a nice little payday to start the new year, right? But wait, Day’s not done yet. He’s now sitting on $350,000 in bonuses — and that’s just from the Rose Bowl and the playoff berth. Meanwhile, Lanning’s sitting there with his $850K, watching the playoffs on the sidelines or bleachers, maybe from Cancun with all that bag.

And let’s not forget about Day’s assistants. These guys are raking in the cash too. Each of these Buckeyes assistant coaches are gonna get a bonus equal to 5% of their base salary, which brings their total haul to a cool 25% of their base so far. For DC Jim Knowles, that’s a lil extra $110K just for the Rose Bowl W, stacking his total to $550K. As for our OC Chip Kelly? who’s already making $2 million a year. He’s grabbing $100K from tonight’s game, bringing his total bag to around $500K. Ain’t gonna lie, Whole Ohio State is eating well.

Also, it’s good to be in Ohio State’s coaching staff this season — they’re all cashing in while making it look easy except for a few trolls here and there. The only thing sweeter than these bonuses? Their diabolical performance over Oregon and Ryan Day’s incoming national championship run Arc.