How much were those wins over Alabama and Clemson worth to Tennessee? Time will tell.
How much were they worth to Tennessee's head coach? Around $29 million.
On Tuesday, Tennessee announced it has signed Josh Heupel to a 1-year contract extension worth $9 million per year, placing him among the top 10 coaches nationally and fifth in the SEC. He will be the highest-paid coach in the conference yet to coach for a national title; the results of the 2022 season and the subsequent extension clearly indicate Heupel will remove that moniker at some point over the next six seasons.
The extension keeps Heupel under contract through the 2028 campaign.
Just last summer, Heupel signed an extension that kept him in Knoxville through 2027 at $5 million per year, a total commitment of $25 million by Tennessee.
The new deal will keep him under contract an extra season, with a total pledge of $54 million, a $29 million increase from the previous deal.
Of course, not all of the $54 million is guaranteed -- but most of it is.
According to reports out of Knoxville, the deal is 100 percent guaranteed through Dec. 15, 2025, 75 percent guaranteed from Dec. 16, 2025 through Dec. 14, 2027, and 50 percent guaranteed thereafter.
Tennessee's 2022 campaign was its best in two decades, and the fifth best among all FBS teams according to the FootballScoop Year End Top 25. The Volunteers defeated Alabama for the first time since 2006, rose to No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings for the first time in the system's 9-year history, won 11 games for the first time since 1999, won a New Year's Six game since 1999, and secured their highest year-end ranking (No. 6) since 2001.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.