College professors and college head football coaches are paid noticeably different salaries.
Gus Malzahn, head football coach, earned $3,854,500 last year, according to USA Today, while the average professor at Auburn earned $109,860 during a 12-month span from 2012-13, according to auburn.edu's factbook.
According to jobmonkey.com, football coaches work approximately 100 hours per week during football season.
Drew Clark, director of Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, said the average professor, based on studies, spends approximately 58 hours during the week teaching, grading and advising.
"Football coaches get paid so much because football... brings in a lot of money to campuses," said John Carvalho, associate professor of journalism who specializes in sports reporting.
Carvalho also said while academics bring in revenue, the amount of money brought in from television, tickets and the promise of a successful football season contribute entirely to the high salaries of the coaches.
"It has to do with supply and demand," said James Barth, Lowder Eminent Scholar in Finance.
Barth said coaches' salaries are higher because there are fewer successful coaches than there are professors..
"I am reluctant to say coaches' salaries are too high and professors' salaries are too low." Barth said. "Both have to motivate people to be successful."
Auburn athletics department had no comment on the coaches' salaries.
"I think professors are paid fairly," Carvalho said.
According to Carvalho, while coaches are paid more, the salaries of professors are consistent and higher than most schoolteachers.
Michael Milford, assistant professor in the School of Communication and Journalism, said football brings in a lot of money to the University.
According to Milford, professors are paid according to how they contribute to the University.
"Part of me says, 'No, it's not fair,'" Milford said. "(Malzahn) never had to grade quizzes or lecture or any of that stuff."
Milford also said, just like in any occupation, there was an element of fair and unfairness in the salaries of coaches and professors.
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