I have a hard time saying this, but ISU head football coach Dan McCarney deserves more money. Yes, I, who has roughly $13 to my name am saying that $300,000 is not enough money for the coach of this university’s football team.

The question to be asked is how much is enough, and has McCarney done enough with the football program to warrant a hearty raise along with an extension that would keep him here for some years to come?

The numbers do not lie. Iowa State is currently 8-3, and McCarney is being paid like he is 3-8. The bottom line is that winning coaches should receive winning coaches dollars.

Don’t get me wrong, coach McCarney has not suddenly transformed into Steve Spurrier or Joe Paterno, but on the other hand, he isn’t quite a Larry Smith either. He is definitely in the middle and should be paid accordingly.

The Iowa Hawkeyes just finished a horrible season. They managed to pull out a few good wins, but for the most part, they were awful. The athletic department promptly awarded coach Kirk Ferentz with a raise and an extension. He is now making in the ballpark of a half-million dollars per year.

McCarney is sitting at $300,000. Should McCarney be where he is? I don’t think so.

McCarney has done wonders for this program. Questionable field calls are outweighed by undying player loyalty. Players defend McCarney like he is the helpless maiden in the castle tower. Ex-players feel free to stop by practice and say hello. I know some who put McCarney down as a character reference on job applications.

The players on this years team have had a belief all year long that this team was going to be good, and McCarney didn’t let them doubt it for a second.

It has taken several years to put all the pieces together and more will soon fall into place, but at least now we can sit at the adult table in the Big 12 conference. McCarney has made vast improvements in every aspect of the football program. The facilities are better, the team is better, and the attitude is better.

No longer does Iowa State have to wait for recruitment scraps to fall from the dinner table. We now have the audacity to go into Nebraska’s back yard and steal the puppy right out of the doghouse. Hooray for that, Iowa State has gotten some stones.

So what is McCarney worth? I believe we should give him a salary that is at least in the same neighborhood as our other big-time coach, Larry Eustachy.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Coach Eustachy is the 16th highest paid coach in all of college sports at approximately one million dollars per year. Three Big 12 football coaches join Eustachy in the top 25.

Coach McCarney would place something like 95th, and that is indeed pitiful.

One thing that should be included into any new contract for coach Mac is incentive bonuses. Eustachy’s contract is full of them. Check this out: coach Eustachy made the following last year in extra money: $10,000 for winning the Big 12 conference, $10,000 for the conference tournament title, $15,000 for making the NCAA tournament and $15,000 for each tournament victory. That equals a lot of money.

I am well aware that these two coaches are vastly different in what they do and should be judged accordingly. However, I believe that we should treat different team’s success with the same amount of thanks and gratitude. McCarney has delivered Iowa State to the promised land. Now it is time to give him his reward.

If I was the one granting Mac his new contract, we would be best friends. This is what I would give him: A five year extension laced with incentives. He has proven he can do the job as a Big 12 head coach and can continue to do it for at least another five seasons. A winning season will now put an extra $15,000 in his pocket.

Also, if an ISU team reaches the top 25 football poll, McCarney gets 25, $25,000 that is. A bowl game is worth 50 G’s, and a spot in the BCS. Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Here is the kicker. Along with these incentives comes the raise. Coach McCarney should be paid $700,000 next season. I will give you a second to quit choking on your soda. I am being completely serious. This would put coach McCarney at a competitive place in the Big 12 ranks while also not making him feel like the shoeshine boy when coach Eustachy comes around.

If only I could make this proposal come true. I seem to have left my genie at home.

Here’s the thing. There are not a lot of people in this country who could coach a Division I football program to a successful season. When you happen to find one you should really make an attempt to keep him at home. Especially when the neighbors are going to come calling, trying to lure him to their house.

To our new athletics director Mr. Van De Velde: Do the right thing, and pay coach McCarney what he is worth. If you make the effort to keep a winning program intact, the fans will show their support.

And for the love of all that is holy, please give him more than what Iowa gave coach Ferentz.