UCF to pay ‘national championship’ bonuses

Central Florida, claiming a “national championship” after finishing 13-0 with a win against Auburn in the Peach Bowl, is putting its money where its mouth is and paying bonuses to former assistant coaches who would have been associated with winning a national title.

According to associate athletics director for communications Andy Seeley, UCF is distributing an additional $300,000 to the nine on-field assistants and $25,000 to the support staff, which will be divvied up at the discretion of head coach Scott Frost, who is departing for Nebraska, with the approval of athletics director Danny White.

UCF, of course, did not win the officially recognized national title, which will go to the winner of the College Football Playoff championship game Monday between Alabama and Georgia.

But UCF claiming a title has brought attention to the debate over whether schools in the second-teir Group of Five are treated fairly in the current Playoff structure. During media interviews this week, White said UCF will hang a banner in its stadium declaring itself the national champion.

“We’re definitely getting a banner,” he said on 96.9 The Game in Orlando. “We won a national championship and we’re going to treat it as such. These kids deserve that. Like other football programs do all across the country, you claim a national championship, you’re the only undefeated team in a season, we’re going to hang a banner.”

On Wednesday, the school an- nounced it would hold a parade Sunday at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.

Frost himself will not receive any additional pay. His bonuses were capped in his UCF contract at $250,000, a number he reached by winning the Peach Bowl.

The $300,000 assistants’ incentive pool for a national championship was outlined in Frost’s original contract and must be paid on the first regular pay period after March 1 of each year. This will be paid even though Frost’s entire staff is leaving with him to Nebraska.