Not sure what you mean by costing OU more, but I agree that he deserves an extension.

and no buyout.

While I respect your opinion, I'll have to disagree, but it does depend on what you would like to see for the future over the longer term. It is normal these days to put coaches on a rollover contract, where they always have 3-4 years remaining. That sets a tone of stability, and sends to message that both the administration and coach are satisfied with the situation, and that it is likely to remain in place for awhile. That, in turn, is a plus for recruiting, and can be self-fulfilling, since the coach is secure and has no reason to be actively looking around (though he still may have a P5 school come looking for him, of course). It also is a very strong positive for assistant coach retention. Assistants like job security, too, and they want to know that their job is not likely to end in only a year or two.

Allowing a contract to get down into the last couple years sets a different tone, and sends a different message. It sends the message that the administration still considers the relationship to be short term, and that it is uncertain to continue beyond the term of the contract. I would expect that if they don't extend Albin, or set up a rollover arrangement, Albin may have an agent actively looking to find him a place with more job security, and his assistant coaches may be looking around, too. Having the head coach and the assistants both thinking about alternatives is not conducive to good results.

How good was 10-4? Solich achieved it once, in 2011, and you have to go clear back to 1968 to find a better season. If tying for the best record in the last fifty years isn't good enough to secure a rollover contract, nothing is. I will not be surprised in the least if assistants like Brian Smith and Spencer Nowinsky get off-season offers to join other staffs, and if they choose to accept an offer where there there is a more stable situation, you can't really blame them.

I was not on the Albin bandwagon at the beginning of the season. I wasn't looking to fire him, either. I was in the wait-and-see camp, with some skepticism because of the 3-9 record last year. I waited, and I've seen, and here is my opinion:

This team was exceptionally well coached, and did more than anyone would have expected. While they didn't win the MAC, I have no doubt that they would have won the MAC easily if not for Kurtis' unfortunate injury, and even after losing Kurtis, they never gave up. They played hard, and played well, holding on against Ball State, crushing BG, battling Toledo and holding them to only 17 points, and then winning a start to finish war against Wyoming. Albin did an outstanding job in all respects. He chose outstanding new assistants, he motivated the players and coaches, and made ever better on the field play calls. He did all that in the face of unending negativity. He definitely deserved the recognition that he got in being named Coach of the Year in the MAC. He deserves the stability of a rollover contract, so that Ohio can focus on continuing to build excellence on the field.

I agree with many things you said. As many of you know, I’m not for spending big money on coaches. He is well paid considering we don’t make money on athletics. He had a great year and I’m all for keeping him, but for about the same money. If he jumps to P5 he’ll make a lot more. I wouldn’t pay him 800k or whatever to keep him.

Very well put, L.C. I agree wholeheartedly with everything you say in this post.

As LC stated, you can extend him without ridiculously Rasing salaries, we did it for years with Frank.

Again, how is that different from any other coach in America?

Ohio's recruiting class in 2017 was rated 8th best in the MAC.
https://247sports.com/Season/2017-Football/CompositeTeamR...
It included Vonnie Watkins, Caesar, Floyd, Drake, Ross, and Meservy, plus a number of players who have already used their eligibility.

Ohio's recruiting class in 2018 was rated 9th best in the MAC
https://247sports.com/Season/2018-Football/CompositeTeamR...
That included McCrory, Danneker, Houston, Allison, Keye Thompson, and Walton among others.

The 2019 class was rated 5th:
https://247sports.com/Season/2019-Football/CompositeTeamR...
It included Blauser, Daxon, Amburgey, K Rourke, and Ben Johnson, among others.

The 2017 class was definitely under-rated, but the 2018 and 2019 were probably correctly placed in the middle of the MAC. Ohio did not win based on pure ability. They won with a never give up attitude, and teamwork, plus sound schemes.

+1

They are special compared to the MAC as Solich players. My point is Ohio may have a relative development edge with its roster with extra players in the system for a slight edge in the MAC.

Its a potential hypothesis along with only a 13-13 record and no MAC title for not backing up a brinks truck to TAs house quite yet. He goes 7-1 in the MAC next year again and gets the program to Detriot that would be the perfect time to preemptively extend and lock up with a buyout before the next coaching opening hit.

As far as trying to extend earlier to pay less now rather than later it doesn't matter because the larger the salary the larger the buyout.

And if you think it's a done deal he's getting it I would ask you where is Jeff Boals contract extension after defeating the defending national champions in the NCAA tournament? He doesn't have an extension but he milked the contract incentives for his big season.

Campus Flow appears to be attempting to get people to think, that there may be more to the story than MAC East Champs and Bowl victors.

Furthering Campus Flow's apparent desire to make you think is that we all should be aware of bias and its impact on thinking without emotions. The bias I include is recency bias. (Investopedia: Recency bias, or availability bias, is a cognitive error identified in behavioral economics whereby people incorrectly believe that recent events will occur again soon. This tendency is irrational, as it obscures the true or objective probabilities of events occurring, leading people to make poor decisions.)

BTC has pointed out that TA took over so late that the first half of the first year shouldn't be a judgement on TA's ability--perhaps the whole first year.

So throw out losing to Duquesne and the quitting loss to then inferior BGSU from year one. Then throw out how the defense gave up miles and miles of passing yardage to several teams before the win streak began and you are left with the top coach in the MAC. But it is all recent and you possibly are letting bias effect your thinking. Don't get sucked into a rather small trend to believe that the recent results can be expected to continue with only minor set backs along the way over an extended contract period.

Are we in a bull or bear market for stocks/bonds? Non professional investors throughout millennium have been whipsawed by their recency bias. Is TA a top level MAC coach who can consistently run a top MAC level program? Looking at games post Kent State is too small a data subset to effectively judge IMO. There was no gun to TA's head to sign a four year deal so TA should be content to wait out another year to see what consensus in results has emerged. And if he is as good as recent exciting results then TA should be compensated accordingly within the University budget.

“It’s not our mission to compete.” LOL

Then don’t whine when we lose recruits to other schools, lose assistants to other schools, or lose games to other schools that “we shouldn’t lose to.”

In the end, the Ohio AD will make the decision. All I can do is predict the outcome of the various things that may happen. Here goes:
1. If there is no extension, Ohio will lose 1 to 4 assistants, and if Albin is offered a four year deal somewhere else, he may take it.
2. If there is a rollover extension, Ohio will lose no more than 1 assistant
3. Ohio will be about 6-6 next year, not another 10-4, and not another coach of the year
4. If there is no extension, and they go 6-6 next year, there will be a return of the "no reason to renew" argument. If the contract is allowed to go down to it's final year, there will be a wholesale bailing by the bulk of the staff.