USA Today released its annual NCAA coaching salaries update on Thursday and to no one’s surprise, the SEC continues to reward its head coaches, handsomely.

Four-time national champion Nick Saban is college football’s highest-paid coach at a cool $7.1 million and currently has Alabama ranked No. 1 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings.

2014 SEC coaching salaries

  • Nick Saban, Alabama  — $7.1 million
  • Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M — $5 million
  • Les Miles, LSU — $4.3 million
  • Steve Spurrier, South Carolina — $4 million
  • Gus Malzahn, Auburn — $3.8 million
  • Gary Pinkel, Mizzou — $3.4 million
  • Mark Richt, Georgia — $3.3 million
  • Bret Bielema, Arkansas — $3.2 million
  • Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss — $3 million
  • Dan Mullen, Mississippi St. — $3 million
  • Butch Jones, Tennessee — $2.9 million
  • Will Muschamp, Florida — $2.7 million
  • Mark Stoops, Kentucky — $2.7 million (34th nationally)
  • Derek Mason, Vanderbilt — Private

Top 25 notables

  • Mark Dantonio, Michigan State — $5.6 million (2nd nationally)
  • Bob Stoops, Oklahoma — $5 million
  • Charlie Strong, Texas — $5 million
  • Urban Meyer, Ohio State — $4.5 million
  • James Franklin, Penn State — $4.3 million
  • Kirk Ferentz, Iowa — $4 million
  • Chris Petersen, Washington — $3.6 million