You have to pay him at LEAST as much as it would cost you to go hire another attractive candidate that can take ISU to bowls every year if CMC were to leave.
For example, if CMC were to leave, and you're going to have to fork out 4.5 to 5 million a year to pay another good coach to come here, then why not just pay CMC at least that or more right now?
If our assistants are near the bottom in pay for the Big 12, then I would think that needs to be addressed too, at least for the ones who are performing.... like Heacock, Viedt, etc. Some probably do not need a raise at the moment until they prove something... looking at OL and ST.
I really wish CMC would go get a good OC though this offseason. Our offense, by all the numbers, was atrocious this season. 104th out of 129 teams in Total Offense. IMO, that is not sustainable for continued success unless you can count on your defense being one of the best in the nation year in and year out, which I doubt we can count on.
And it's just so frustrating watching our offense too. We can't make the simple play calls, lack creativity, lack misdirection, lack a mid range passing game (everything is very short or a bomb), etc.
As the year went on, teams just blitzed us all the time, and we could still never make the simple adjustments that every team knows to make in order to beat the blitz. If I ever saw us beat a blitz by running Kolar or Allen on a quick slant right over the middle to where the blitzing LBs vacated, I think I'd lose my mind. I've never seen it. That is Football 101. Instead, we have Purdy drop back and try to scan the field with WR's running slow long routes, and then Purdy getting sacked or running for his life.
This offense needs something. Nothing real fancy, just even the basics would be nice to see next year.