re: If successful, is the O model sustainable?

Very sustainable model for short term, but also long term should the coach win and bring teams to the playoffs after winning SEC titles. Now if a Natty is won, that head coach should have in his contract to be paid the avg of the top 5 coaches or top 3 coaches. Continue this part below in 3rd paragraph.

Everyone forgets that LSU claimed to be ready to pay Jimbo $6-7M per year so let's say $6.5 for Jimbo as LSU's coach. They also wanted to keep Aranda and not let Tom Herman and Texas pick him for their DC job, so let's give him his raise from $1.3 to $1.8M because he is worth every penny. Then you have to pay an OC as Cam was getting $1.2M, but there are the Canada's, Sterlin Gilbert's, etc... who were making $500-600K (Great money) but not Cam C. type money (What a waste). You can pay a Canada $1M for 3-4 years with fancy language to keep him or huge buy-outs and you are set to make a run.

So we have:

Jimbo type established coach- $6.5M
DC- $1.8
OC- $1M
Total- $9.3M for them

Saban- $7M + $1.4 Kiffin made + DC about $1M = $9.4M

Michigan- Harbaugh $9M + DC 800K + OC 800K = $10.6M. Michigan's assistants make S Teams $395K, Tyrone Wheatly 350K, DB coach Greg Jackson 365K, Jay Harbaugh Offense Quaity Control at $200K. We won't add them to the total to keep it the HC, OC, and DC, but Michigan's other coaches do not make LSU type money at 500-700K per year.

With all that said, when LSU and Bama pays their other assistants more money LSU, Michigan, Bama all have high payrolls and I think LSU's is higher overall at Jimbo type Money for the Head Coach.

So now with coach O making $3M and even with Aranda's raise to $1.8M and Canada's $1M = $5.8M, where above it = $9.3M or go up to Michigan's top 3 at $10.6M. So let's take $10M being the magic number for the top 3 coaches in the Elite programs. Then LSU is $4.2M away from that (With the top paid coord in football, so they can keep attracting top people if Aranda or Canada leave.

So if O wins the Natty, he is smart enough to do some math and to keep great assistants and pay them what they need to get at that level he would probably say give me $3M more as I just won 2 SEC titles in 3 year's, a National Title, and another CFB Playoff appearance and I will stay for that amount for life at $6M. No inflation there and now 6M + 1.8 + 1.2 which is now the OC salary = 9M, which is still under that $10M number for top 3 coaches in a program, and that is 3 years down the road coming into the 2020 season.

It could work because O will not get in a biding war, he would take 2-3M raise and call it a day with his last 5-7 year contract at 5-6M per year for his dream job in his home state. Even if he gets a 4M raise to $7M for multiple titles, LSU is still at $10m (same as 2017 but now in 2020 or higher.

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100% agree. The idea that his defense strategy is just somehow so great and so far advanced that other coaches have no clue how to attack it is ridiculous. That he has future early round nfl draft picks lined up shoulder to shoulder across the d-line, at LB, and in the secondary has much more to do with it (as in everything to do with it)

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While saban does have a talent advantage,when he plays teams with a somewhat even talented teamn his coaching is what keeps them winning every year.

Lets be honest.
Bama and saban are 4-5 games away from being in the playoff or national title game every year since 2008. That doesnt happen with only talent.

We have also seen Saban's scheme be very effective in the nfl by taking the Cleveland Browns to the best defense in the nfl