This week Sporting News acquired, via public records request, a copy of new Indiana head coach Archie Miller's 21-page contract, which provides a potentially lucrative clause for "competitive performance achievement."
On top of his seven-year, $24-million contract that averages to $3.35 million annually, making him the eighth-highest paid coach in the sport, Miller can earn an additional $125,000 per season if Indiana finalizes its non-conference schedule with no more than one opponent with an RPI of 300 or greater from the season prior, as determined by the final RPI ratings on ESPN.com.
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Indiana wants to schedule tougher non-conference opponents, and the school's administrators were willing to put it in writing with an attached six-figure bonus.
During the previous regime of former coach Tom Crean, the Hoosiers' non-conference schedule often left much to be desired among Indiana fans.
ESPN.com's daily RPI archives, the contractual determinant of Miller's potential scheduling bonus, date back to the 2010-11 season. Indiana's last seven non-conference strength of schedule ratings are as follows: 139, 208, 97, 215, 54, 144, 255.
For reference, roughly a quarter of Indiana's non-conference schedule last season was filled with sub-300 RPI opponents: UMass Lowell (310), SIU-Edwardsville (332), Mississippi Valley State (333) and Delaware State (334).
It appears the $125K bonus is off the table for next season as Indiana has announced matchups against Howard (339 in the final 2016-17 RPI) and South Florida (316). Miller, who accepted the job at Indiana on March 25, likely had his hands tied in arranging Indiana's upcoming non-conference schedule due to time and scheduling constraints as he put together his new coaching staff, got acclimated with his players and hit the recruiting trail.
If Miller can avoid scheduling more than one game per season against the bottom 15 percent of college basketball teams, he'll be $125,000 richer, and Indiana fans craving tougher games outside of Big Ten play can thank the university's brass for providing the incentive for fewer games against the bottom feeders of the RPI.