Ohio State did not make the College Football Playoff in 2017, but it's hard to argue the season was a failure in Columbus. If it was, it had to be the most successful failed season in college football history.
How else do you classify a season in which Ohio State won the Big Ten, demolished USC in the Cotton Bowl, registered a sixth straight win over Michigan and finished No. 5 nationally in both polls?
The Ohio State administration has classified 2017 a success, because on Wednesday the Buckeyes announced massive raises for Urban Meyer's coaching staff.
Defensive coordinator Greg Schiano, who was very close to joining the New England Patriots' staff, received a substantial reward for remaining in Columbus. He more than doubled his salary, leaping from $700,000 in 2017 to $1.5 million in '18.
Ryan Day, who was promoted to the Buckeyes' offensive coordinator last month, earned the largest raise on a percentage basis, as his salary more than doubled from $400,000 to $1 million. Co-offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson also received a raise to $800,000, which is in line with co-defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.
Every assistant except linebackers coach Bill Davis earned a double-digit percentage increase. Wide receivers coach Zach Smith is the low man on the totem pole -- at $340,000.
The overall staff pool jumped by nearly 60 percent. Even when removing Grinch's new $800,000 salary, Ohio State is paying its nine returning coaching slots 40 percent more than last year.
Though the jump from below $5 million to more than $7 million is eye-popping, it's more of just Ohio State catching up to the market. Clemson boosted its salary pool from $5.7 million to $6.6 million earlier this month. National champion Alabama and runner-up Georgia should announce similar raises this offseason; the Tide had the nation's largest salary pool in 2017 at just below $6 million, according to USA Today.
Meyer also confirmed at his Signing Day press conference that he expects to ink a new contract soon as well. He made $6.4 million in 2017, which ranked fourth nationally.
* - Includes $500,000 for former cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs