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Lloyd Austin hospitalization: New details emerge surrounding internal Defense Department communications

New details emerged Wednesday to indicate that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, was aware of her boss’ hospitalization on Tuesday last week but did not inform Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks.

Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters this delay was in part due to Magsamen having the flu.

A senior U.S. defense official told Fox News on Wednesday that a military assistant from Austin’s office notified a counterpart in Hicks’ office of the transfer of authority to her on Jan. 2.

Then on Thursday, Jan. 4, it was Magsamen who notified the chief of staff for Hicks that Austin had been hospitalized on Monday, Jan. 1, and that his condition was improving.

When asked by Fox News if it was senior military assistant Lt. Gen. Ron Clark who spoke to the military assistant in Hicks’ office on Tuesday, the senior U.S. defense official did not have an answer and said a 30-day review will cover exactly who the military assistant was.

President Biden first learned of Austin’s prostate cancer on Tuesday, which was the same day as the public and a month after the diagnosis. This is despite the two speaking on the phone on Saturday.

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center revealed Tuesday that Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early December and underwent a prostatectomy on Dec. 22.

The hospital added that the 70-year-old recovered uneventfully from his surgery and was released the following morning. His prostate cancer was detected early and the prognosis was ‘excellent,’ according to the facility.

During his hospitalization, Austin transferred authority to Hicks and did not inform the White House nor the reason behind the transfer. The Defense Department has for days said Austin was initially at Walter Reed for an ‘elective medical procedure,’ not prostate surgery.

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Tuesday that Biden was not informed of Austin’s hospitalization until last Thursday and only learned of the cancer diagnosis on Tuesday.

Asked whether Biden believed the time-lapse was acceptable, Kirby said it was ‘not optimal.’

‘For a situation like this to go as long as it did without the commander in chief knowing about it or the national security adviser knowing about it or, frankly, other leaders at the Department of Defense, that’s not the way this is supposed to happen. The president understands that,’ Kirby said.  

Fox News’ Bradford Betz and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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Politics

Obama increasingly worried about Trump beating Biden, report says: ‘Incalculable damage’

Former President Obama is becoming increasingly anxious about the closeness of the 2024 presidential election and fears former President Trump could take back the White House, according to a report.

Former Attorney General Eric Holder, one of Obama’s closest confidants, told USA Today that if Trump were to win the Republican nomination and beat President Biden this November, there could be ‘incalculable damage’ brought upon the country. 

Holder confirmed Obama ‘absolutely’ holds the same views when asked by the publication.

‘I think that’s what motivates him. I think that’s what will continue to motivate him,’ Holder responded.

Individuals within Obama’s inner orbit further said he believes the race would be extremely close, according to USA Today. Due to this, Obama will try to ‘move the needle’ toward Biden with calculated moments throughout the campaign.

Others said Obama thinks the 2024 landscape has ‘major structural advantages that will favor Republicans’ and believes Trump winning again would be ‘dangerous.’

‘President Obama is going to do everything he can to help in that regard, and that means campaigning, but it also means sharing strategic advice with [Biden],’ Holder told the publication. ‘And who better than President Obama to be a primary advisor to the campaign?’

The former president’s unease comes on the heels of his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, saying she is ‘terrified’ about what could happen in the 2024 election. 

During a recent podcast appearance, Michelle Obama was asked about what keeps her up at night and her biggest fear. 

‘It has less to do with me personally and more to do with the world that we’re in,’ she responded. ‘There’s such thing as ‘knowing too much,’ and when you’ve been married to the President of the United States who knows everything about everything in the world, sometimes you just want to turn it off.’

While she noted concerns ranging from wars across various regions and the future of artificial intelligence to climate change and voter turnout as being problems on her mind, America’s upcoming presidential election remains chief among them.

‘Those are the things that keep me up, because you don’t have control over them. And you wonder, where are we in this? Where are our hearts? What’s gonna happen in this next election?’ she said. ‘I am terrified about what could possibly happen, because our leaders matter. Who we select, who speaks for us, who holds that bully pulpit affects us in ways that sometimes I think people take for granted.’

Fox News Digital’s Alexander Hall contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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Stocks

3 Health Care Stocks Flashing Promising Golden Cross: Why You Need to Watch Them

The Health Care sector started rallying in early November 2023, at about the same time the S&P 500 ($SPX) rallied. The AI buzz may have buried the rally in Health Care stocks but, in early 2024 when technology stocks pulled back, the areas that were rallying, such as Health Care, gained investor attention.

The Bullish 50/200-day MA Crossovers scan on the StockCharts Sample Scan Library revealed three healthcare stocks worth exploring. They are as follows:

Abbott Laboratories, Inc. (ABT)BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Inc. (BMRN)DexCom Inc. (DXCM)

Let’s look at these charts in more detail to identify investment opportunities.

Abbott Laboratories, Inc.

Looking at a 5-year weekly chart of Abbott Laboratories (see chart on left), the stock has seen a healthy bullish rally from 2017 till the end of 2021. It fell below its 40-week simple moving average (SMA) a few times, but recovered and continued moving higher. Note that the 40-week SMA translates to the 200-day SMA.

CHART 1. ABBOTT LABORATORIES COULD BREAK OUT ABOVE ITS TRADING RANGE. After trading sideways for a few years, ABT stock may break out to the upside and move toward its all-time high of $137.50.Chart source: StockChartsACP. For educational purposes.

After 2021, the trend reversed with a series of lower highs and lower lows and a lot of choppy movement. Since then, the stock has been moving sideways. ABT’s relative performance with respect to the Health Care sector, represented by the Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV), has been in positive territory since 2017. In the chart above, it’s at 127.74%.

Moving to the daily chart of ABT on the right side, you can see the Golden Cross or the 50-day SMA crossing above the 200-day SMA. The relative strength index (RSI) is at around 78, which indicates the stock is in overbought territory. It could stay there for an extended period of time, as it did since November 2023, when the stock was trading above its 200-day SMA.

If ABT breaks above $114 on strong momentum, the stock could reach its all-time high of $137.

BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Inc. (BMRN)

This stock has been choppy since 2015, yet its relative performance with respect to XLV increased in strength (see weekly chart on left).

CHART 2. CHOPPY MOVEMENT IN BIOMARIN PHARMACEUTICALS. The stock appears to be consolidating in spite of the Golden Cross. Relative performance with respect to XLV is strong. Any sign of the stock breaking out of its consolidation could make it a strong addition to your portfolio.Chart source: StockChartsACP. For educational purposes.

The daily chart on the right shows the Golden Cross, yet the stock is consolidating. There must be a reversal and a break above the $99 resistance level before considering opening a long position in this stock. The RSI is at around 50. It could reverse from here and move higher if BMRN reverses and moves above its overhead resistance.

DexCom Inc. (DXCM)

This stock may be one you don’t hear about much, but it’s worth analyzing. On the weekly chart (left side), the stock looks similar to ABT’s. It has trended higher since 2017 and is now consolidating. Its relative performance against XLV is trending higher after moving sideways for several years.

CHART 3. DEXCOM COULD MOVE OUT OF ITS TRADING RANGE. The Golden Cross is in its infancy and the RSI on the daily chart is below 70. A more prominent Golden Cross and an RSI upward move could bring this stock out of its consolidation period and toward its all-time high.Chart source: StockChartsACP. For educational purposes.

On the daily chart (right side), DXCM has moved well above its October bottom of $75. The Golden Cross is in its infancy, and the RSI is below 70 and is turning lower. If the 50-day SMA continues to move above the 200-day SMA and the RSI reverses and crosses above 70, this stock could move higher and hit its 2021 high of around $164.

How To Scan for Stocks Flashing a Golden Cross

You can scan for Bullish 50/200-day MA Crossovers from the StockCharts Sample Scan Library.

From Your Dashboard or Charts & Tools tab, scroll down to the Sample Scan Library to identify the scan.Run the scan. It will filter out all the stocks and ETFs that meet the scan criteria.

The Bottom Line

Abbott Laboratories, BioMarin, and DexCom are three healthcare stocks that could shine in 2024. The Golden Cross in all three is in its early stages. If the crossover continues and there’s follow-through momentum in any of these stocks’ prices, it could be a good addition to your portfolio. But your investment may not be a “set and forget” one. Any signs of the Golden Cross not continuing would signal to either exit your position or not enter one.

Disclaimer: This blog is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. The ideas and strategies should never be used without first assessing your own personal and financial situation, or without consulting a financial professional.

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Stocks

Escape the Chaos: Discovering the Key to Tackling Market Uncertainty

Uncertainty needs attention in order for it to make you second guess yourself. Instead, wait for trends to change, and then make changes. On this week’s edition of StockCharts TV‘s Halftime, Pete Carmasino shares a broad market overview, starting with a divergence signal on the bullish percent of the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100. He then looks at the indexes along with WTC Crude, the US Dollar, and of course his favorite, TLT (the 20-year government bond ETF). Pete finishes up in the Chaikin Analytics Platform to show you a never-before-seen look at the Discovery Engine, using PFE as an example. Watch to see it in action!

This video originally premiered on January 10, 2024. You can watch on our dedicated Halftime by Chaikin Analytics page on StockCharts TV, or click this link to watch on YouTube.

You can view all previously recorded episodes of Halftime by Chaikin Analytics with Pete Carmasino at this link.

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Business

Education Department error could lower U.S. students’ financial aid amounts

An error in how the Education Department calculates financial aid threatens to leave some U.S. students with lower subsidy amounts for their secondary schooling this fall.

The mistake, first reported in December by The Washington Post and again this week by NPR, stems from the department’s apparent failure to update a key part of its aid calculation index for inflation, which has surged by some 20% since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

At issue is the amount of a family’s income that is deemed ‘protected’ from the overall adjusted gross income calculation. That income amount is used to determine how much financial aid a student needs.

Unless the inflation adjustment is fixed, a family will be considered to have more resources at its disposal than is actually the case, said Karen McCarthy, vice president of public policy and federal relations at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

And that means less money for students in need.

‘The fact that [the department] did not do these updates artificially lowers someone’s aid eligibility,’ McCarthy said.

The Education Department did not release a statement to NBC News by the time this article was published. NPR reported Tuesday that the department is still assessing how to handle the mistake.

McCarthy’s organization was among the first to flag the inflation issue in October to the Education Department. She said it appears the department initially decided to not address the issue for the 2024-25 academic year, but that it is now considering doing so as news reports of the error have gained momentum.

The department’s error is further complicated by the rollout of the new, simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) mandated by Congress at the end of 2020.

The FAFSA usually becomes available to students and their parents in October, but the new form has been beset by delays. A ‘soft launch’ of the form finally went online Dec. 31, but was not widely accessible at the outset. Only this week has the form been fully available.

The chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., blamed the Biden administration for the error. ‘The administration should have been implementing bipartisan FAFSA legislation passed by Congress,’ Foxx said in a statement.

‘As a result, chaos with the FAFSA rollout is making life miserable for families attempting to determine if they can afford college.”

In a statement to CNBC, the Education Department said 1 million students had already submitted a FAFSA form.

But as it processes the new form, the department has not yet begun forwarding applications to schools.

Now, the department is deliberating whether to punt the update of students’ aid eligibility calculations for inflation into the next academic year — effectively shortchanging this year’s cohort — or take time to perform the update now but shorten the overall window students may have to communicate with their schools of choice.

‘The spring is going to be a little rough no matter what,’ McCarthy said.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
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Sports

Jim Harbaugh nets record bonus as coaches across country cash in big

With Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh outdoing himself as the Wolverines marched to the College Football Playoff national championship, college football head coaches at Bowl Subdivision public schools this season claimed just over $15.5 million in bonuses, according to tracking by USA TODAY Sports based on contracts acquired through open-records requests.

In addition, 14 coaches reached goals this season that were set to result in automatic contract extensions scheduled to be worth a combined $58.7 million. Three of those coaches have ended up moving to new jobs: Jonathan Smith to Michigan State from Oregon State; Curt Cignetti to Indiana from James Madison; and Jon Sumrall to Tulane from Troy.

Harbaugh led the bonus totals with $3 million — by far the largest single-season haul since USA TODAY Sports began tracking these amounts in 2019. Harbaugh claimed $2.225 million in 2021, although he redirected about $1.5 million of his bonus money to members of the Michigan athletics department who had taken pandemic-related pay cuts during an 11-month stretch of 2020 and 2021 and had remained on the payroll. He picked up $2.2 million last season.

The next-highest season total is the $1.775 million that Ed Orgeron attained when LSU won the CFP title in 2019.

The coaches’ combined total of just over $15.5 million also establishes a new benchmark. To give that number some perspective, there were 46 Division I public schools that spent less than that on their entire athletics programs in fiscal 2022, the last year for which the schools’ annual financial reports to the NCAA are available. USA TODAY collects those documents in partnership with the Knight-Newhouse Data project at Syracuse University.

Adding it up for Harbaugh  

Harbaugh’s basic pay from Michigan for this season is $8.2 million.

He picked up $1 million for the Wolverines’ win in Monday night’s CFP title game after getting $500,000 for the team playing in the Big Ten Conference championship game, $1 million for winning the Big Ten title and $500,000 for being selected to play in the CFP semifinals.

This set of bonuses was introduced into Harbaugh’s contract with Michigan after the 2020 season, when he took a roughly 50% cut in his basic annual pay from the school to $4 million after the Wolverines had gone 9-4 in 2019 and 2-4 in the pandemic-affected 2020 season.

The bonuses remained intact when the parties renegotiated again after the 2021 season and moved his basic pay back above $8 million.

If he remains at Michigan, he could get up to $150,000 more at athletics director Warde Manuel’s discretion depending on the team’s NCAA Academic Progress Rate scores. (Harbaugh is contractually eligible to get bonuses for coach-of-the-year awards, but the Big Ten honor went to Northwestern’s David Braun, and it seems unlikely that Harbaugh will win a national award.)

Other top bonus totals for 2023

Washington’s Kalen DeBoer: $1.075 million, including $450,000 for the team’s appearance in the CFP final.

Louisville’s Jeff Brohm: $800,000. Brohm also picked up two automatic one-year extensions currently set to pay him a combined $13.5 million, all of which is guaranteed.

Mississippi’s Lane Kiffin: $650,000, not including amounts he may be getting based on Mississippi’s season-ticket sales total for the 2023 season. (The university’s athletics department has not responded to a request for that total.) Kiffin also claimed an automatic one-year contract extension currently set to pay him at least $9 million.

Among coaches at schools not in a Power Five conference, Toledo’s Jason Candle led with $405,000. That amount is equal to 36% of his basic annual pay from the school for this season ($1.125 million) — or less than one percentage point behind the percentage of base salary with which Harbaugh ended.

The school-by-school list

A full list of public-school head coaches’ bonus data for this season follows.

It is alphabetical, by school. It shows amounts coaches achieved, or achieved prior to leaving for other positions or being fired. In either of the latter two cases, the amounts still may be owed to the coach.

Bonuses for coaches at private schools are not available because those schools are not subject to open-records laws. Boise State is not listed because bonus-related goals were achieved under an interim coach who previously had been working for the school as an assistant coach.

The head coaches’ list also does not include bonuses for team academic achievements.

Alabama: Nick Saban

►$75,000: Play in Southeastern Conference championship game

►$50,000: Win SEC title

►$400,000: Play in College Football Playoff semifinal

Appalachian State: Shawn Clark

►$20,000: Competitive scheduling — play guarantee game at home stadium of Power Five opponent (North Carolina)

►$30,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Eighth win

►$30,000: Play in Sun Belt Conference championship game

►$20,000: Win Non-CFP bowl game

Arizona: Jedd Fisch

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Team in final CFP rankings (No. 14)

Arkansas State: Butch Jones

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

Army: Jeff Monken

►$75,000: Win over Air Force

►$125,000: Win over Navy to win Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy

Auburn: Hugh Freeze

►$150,000: Play in Southeastern Conference Pool of Six bowl (ReliaQuest, Gator, Music City, Liberty and Duke’s Mayo); team playing in Music City Bowl

Bowling Green: Scot Loeffler

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$7,500: Fifth win over Mid-American Conference opponent

California: Justin Wilcox

►$25,000: Beat Stanford

►$10,000: Win over UCLA in season in which UCLA has at least six regular season wins

►$25,000: Sixth regular season win

►$40,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

Central Florida: Gus Malzahn

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

Clemson: Dabo Swinney

►$75,000: Play in non-CFP bowl game with at least eight regular season wins

Coastal Carolina: Tim Beck

►$150,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$200,000: Win bowl game

►$50,000 pay increase beginning next season: Team has winning record on Dec. 31

Eastern Michigan: Chris Creighton

►One-year contract extension; $10,000 raise, beginning next season; $25,000 bonus this season: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game (Agreement set to run through Dec. 31, 2028. Scheduled total pay for that season would be at least $775,000, with $725,000 guaranteed.)

Florida State: Mike Norvell

►$100,000: Play in Atlantic Coast Conference championship game

►$150,000: Win ACC title

►$200,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal game

►$100,000: Bobby Dodd Trophy national coach of the year

Fresno State: Jeff Tedford

►$75,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$40,000: Seventh regular season win

►$20,000: Eighth regular season win

Georgia: Kirby Smart

►$100,000: Play in SEC championship game

►$175,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal game

Georgia Southern: Clay Helton

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

Georgia State: Shawn Elliott

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000 bonus this season and $25,000 pay increase beginning next season: Win bowl game

Georgia Tech: Brent Key

►$50,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Win non-CFP bowl game

Iowa: Kirk Ferentz

►$100,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$200,000: Play in Big Ten Conference championship game

►$175,000: Team ranked No. 20 through 16 in final CFP rankings

Iowa State: Matt Campbell

►$50,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$250,000: Seventh regular season win

Jacksonville State: Rich Rodriguez

►$10,000: Sixth regular season win

►$10,000: Seventh regular season win

►$10,000: Eighth regular season win

James Madison: Curt Cignetti

►$15,000: Win over Power Five team (Virginia)

►$20,000: Sixth regular season win, eligible to play in non-CFP bowl

►$25,000: Seventh regular season win over FBS team

►One-year contract extension and $10,000 bonus this season: Eighth regular season win over FBS team  (Agreement set to run through Jan. 31, 2030. Scheduled total pay for that season would be at least $870,000, with at least $600,000 guaranteed.)

►$5,000: Ninth regular season win over FBS team

►$5,000: 10th regular season win over FBS team

Kansas: Lance Leipold

►$100,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Seventh regular season win

►$50,000: Top 25 finish in a national poll or ranking (No. 23 in Associated Press media poll)

Kansas State: Chris Klieman

►$50,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Eighth win (Agreement now set to run through Dec. 31, 2031. Scheduled total pay for that season is $6.5 million, with at least $3,75 million guaranteed)

►$25,000: Team in final CFP rankings (No. 25)

Kentucky: Mark Stoops

►$100,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

Louisville: Jeff Brohm

►One-year contract extension: Seventh win (Agreement goes through thru Dec. 31, 2029. Scheduled total pay for that season is $6.5 million, all guaranteed)

►$250,000:  Ninth regular season win

►$200,000:  9-1 record (6-1 in conference play), sets up team for ACC Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 bowl (CFP non-semifinal, Outback, Tax.Slayer, Holiday or Cheez-It). Team played in Holiday Bowl

►$100,000: Play in Atlantic Coast Conference championship game

►Additional one-year contract extension and $250,000 bonus this season: 10th win (Agreement thru Dec. 31, 2030. Scheduled total pay for that season is $7 million, all guaranteed)

LSU: Brian Kelly

►$500,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

Marshall: Charles Huff

►$50,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

Maryland: Mike Locksley

►$50,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension and $100,000 bonus this season: Seventh win (Agreement now set to run through Dec. 31, 2028. Scheduled total pay for that season would be $7 million, with $4.55 million guaranteed.)

►$70,000: Win non-CFP bowl game

Memphis: Ryan Silverfield

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$75,000: Eighth win

►$25,000: Ninth win

►$25,000: Tenth win

►$50,000: Win bowl game

Miami (Ohio): Chuck Martin

►$23,973: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$23,973: Play in Mid-American Conference championship game

Michigan: Jim Harbaugh

►$500,000: Win Big Ten Conference East Division, play in Big Ten championship game

►$1,000,000: Win Big Ten title

►$500,000: Play in CFP semifinal

►$1,000,000: Win CFP title

Mississippi: Lane Kiffin

►$100,000: Regular season win over non-conference Power Five team (Georgia Tech)

►One-year contract extension: Seventh win (Agreement set to run through Dec. 31, 2027. According to a recent term sheet from the university, Kiffin’s annual pay for the 2026 contract year is scheduled to be at least $9 million, beginning Jan. 1, 2026. The guaranteed value of the additional year is not available because that is determined, in part, by an agreement with the Ole Miss Athletic Foundation, a private, non-profit organization that declines to provide that agreement.)

►$150,000: Fifth win over Southeastern Conference opponent

►$150,000: Sixth win over SEC opponent

►$250,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal

Missouri: Eliah Drinkwitz

►$25,000: 10th win

►$25,000: Team in final CFP rankings (No. 9)

►$300,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal

►$25,000: SEC coach of the year

►$25,000: 11th win

Nevada-Las Vegas: Barry Odom

►$50,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Play in Mountain West Conference championship game

►$25,000: Mountain West coach of the year

New Mexico State: Jerry Kill

►$10,000: Win over New Mexico

►$10,000: Win over Texas-El Paso

►$20,000: Sixth regular season win

►$5,000: Seventh regular season win

►$5,000: Eighth regular season win

►$5,000: Ninth regular season win

►$25,000: Win over Power Five team (Auburn)

►$10,000: Conference USA co-coach of the year

North Carolina:  Mack Brown

►$75,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

North Carolina State: Dave Doeren

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Eighth win

►$50,000: Ninth win

►$50,000:  Team in final CFP rankings (No. 18)

Northern Illinois: Thomas Hammock

►$15,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$20,000: Win non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Win any bowl game (Agreement now set to run through June, 30, 2028. Scheduled total pay for that season would be $760,549, with $317,775 guaranteed.)

Ohio: Tim Albin

►One-year contract extension and $5,000 bonus this season: Eighth regular season win (Agreement now set to run through Dec. 31, 2027. Scheduled total pay for that season would be $700,000, with $300,000 guaranteed.)

►$5,000: Ninth regular season win

►$30,150: Win bowl game

Ohio State: Ryan Day

►$200,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal

Oklahoma: Brent Venables

►$25,000: Play in non-CFP bowl game with at least seven wins

Oklahoma State: Mike Gundy

►$62,500: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$62,500: Play in Big 12 Conference championship game

Old Dominion: Ricky Rahne

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

Oregon: Dan Lanning

►$100,000: Play in Pac-12 Conference championship game

►One-year contract extension: 10th win (Agreement now set to run through Jan. 31, 2030. Scheduled total pay for that season would be $9.2 million, all guaranteed)

►$200,000: 11th regular season win

►$150,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal

Oregon State: Jonathan Smith

►$50,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Seventh win (Agreement had been set to run through Feb. 28, 2030. Scheduled total pay for that season would have been $5.45 million, with $3,542,500 guaranteed. However, Smith has left Oregon State to become Michigan State’s head coach — and he is set to make $7.25 million for the 2024 season, with $100,000 annual increases in future years.)

►$50,000: Eighth regular season win

Penn State: James Franklin

►$300,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal

Rutgers: Greg Schiano

►$75,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Play in bowl game other than QuickLane, Duke’s Mayo or Music City

►$100,000: Win bowl game other than QuickLane, Duke’s Mayo or Music City

San Jose State: Brent Brennan

►$15,000: Sixth win

►One-year contract extension and $15,000 bonus this season: Sixth regular season win (Agreement now set to run through Dec. 31, 2027. Scheduled total pay for that season would be $1.9 million, with $950,000 guaranteed.)

►$5,000:  Seventh regular season win

South Alabama: Kane Wommack

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Win non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension and $25,000 pay increase beginning next season: Seventh win (Agreement now set to run through Feb. 28, 2029. Scheduled total pay for that season would be $810,000, with $607,500 guaranteed.)

South Florida: Alex Golesh

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Win non-CFP bowl game

Tennessee: Josh Heupel

►$100,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Team was No. 25 through No. 11 in final CFP rankings (No. 21)

Texas: Steve Sarkisian

►$100,000: Play in Big 12 Conference championship game

►$100,000: Win Big 12 title

►$100,000: Play in CFP semifinal

Texas A&M: Jimbo Fisher

►$100,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

Texas State: G.J. Kinne

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Win bowl game

Texas Tech: Joey McGuire

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Win lower-tier Big 12 bowl game

Texas-San Antonio: Jeff Traylor

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Eighth regular season win

►$25,000: Win bowl game

Toledo: Jason Candle

►$75,000: Sixth regular season win

►$20,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$60,000: Seventh regular season win

►$130,000: Eighth regular season win

►$25,000: Win Mid-American Conference division title

►$15,000: Play in MAC championship game

►One-year contract extension and $60,000 bonus this season: Ninth regular season win (Agreement now set to run through thru Dec. 31, 2027. Scheduled total pay for that season is $1,125,000, with $900,000 guaranteed.)

►$20,000: MAC coach of the year

Troy: Jon Sumrall

►$50,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Eighth win (Agreement now set to run through Nov. 30, 2028. Scheduled total pay for that season is $1,100,000, all guaranteed.)

►$50,000: Play in Sun Belt championship game

►$15,000: Win Sun Belt title

UCLA: Chip Kelly

►$100,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Sixth regular season win

►$50,000: Seventh regular season win

Utah: Kyle Whittingham

►$15,000: Team ranked in top 25 at any time during season (AP preseason top 25, No. 14)

►$275,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$10,000: Team in College Football Playoff rankings at any time during season (No. 18 in first rankings of season)

Utah State: Blake Anderson

►$75,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

Virginia Tech: Brent Pry

►$50,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

Washington: Kalen DeBoer

► $50,000: Play in Pac-12 Conference championship game

► $100,000: Win Pac-12 title

►$400,000: Play in CFP semifinal

►$25,000: Pac-12 coach of the year

►$50,000: Associated Press national coach of the year

► $450,000: Play in CFP final

West Virginia: Neal Brown

►$50,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$100,000:  Eighth regular season win

Western Kentucky: Tyson Helton

►$50,000: Seventh win, team will have winning record for season

►$50,000: Win bowl game

Wisconsin: Luke Fickell

►Share of pool that is 2% of $6.225 million staff pay total ($124,500): Sixth win, will play in non-CFP bowl game

►Share of pool that is additional 2% of $6.225 million staff pay total (total of $249,000): Seventh win

Wyoming: Craig Bohl

►$100,000: Regular season win over non-conference Power Five team (Texas Tech)

►$33,333: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Fifth Mountain West Conference win

►$25,000: Win bowl game

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Michigan fans’ national title celebration made its mark on Spotify

The confetti, the trophy and the cigars are all key ingredients to a championship celebration and the Michigan Wolverines’ national championship victory on Monday night was no different.

Queen’s ‘We are the Champions’ filled the air during the trophy presentation after Blake Corum and Co. beat the Washington Huskies 34-13 for Michigan’s first title since 1997. The continued post-game celebrations featured a medley of top hits. In the locker room, head coach Jim Harbaugh led the team in singing ‘For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow.’

What makes college football special is that many schools have a fight song to proclaim their victory.

‘Music, it’s been such an important part of college football because of the marching bands forever,’ CFP executive director Bill Hancock told USA TODAY Sports in November. ‘… We love those marching bands and we’re unique in that we have our fight songs that people cherish, our pregame music rituals from school to school that people cherish.’

According to Spotify, Michigan fans rallied around the Wolverines by playing the two signature songs performed by the Michigan Marching Band: ‘Let’s Go Blue’ and the official fight song ‘The Victors.’

On Monday, ‘Let’s Go Blue’ was streamed 670% more than average in the United States.

‘The Victors’ saw an even greater boost with a 730% increase in streams.

The Michigan Marching Band was formed in 1896 and gave its first performance on a football field two years later. The band, which performed before the championship game and at halftime, and the fight song have been an integral part of the storied football program’s legacy. Sports Illustrated named ‘The Victors’ the greatest fight song in college football history because of how successful the 1,000-win school is and how closely fans identify the song with the maize and blue. ‘The Victors’ was written in 1898 by music student Louis Elbel. It was etched into American history by President Gerald Ford, the former Michigan football player who had his administration play ‘The Victors’ instead of ‘Hail to the Chief’ at official events. It was even played at his funeral procession.

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Ranking all 14 playoff-bound QBs by playoff résumé

The competitors are set in the race for Super Bowl 58. Fourteen teams remain, each with a quarterback looking to add a ring to his career accolades – if he doesn’t have one (or two) already.

Quality quarterback play is most crucial in this time of the season. Clutch plays and game-winning drives led by the best signal-callers can be enough to push a team closer to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, while interceptions and poor play in one game can dash those hopes quickly.

The fourteen starting quarterbacks facing off this postseason run the gamut of playoff experience. Some are grizzled veterans in the postseason with a ring or two to show for it. Others are first-time contenders and rookies.

Here’s how all 14 playoff quarterbacks stack up, ranked solely by their postseason résumés.

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Ranking playoff quarterbacks by postseason résumés

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (14 games)

Mahomes has been the Chiefs’ starting quarterback for six years. In that time, he’s been to three Super Bowls, won two of them and was the Super Bowl MVP both times. He has never lost a playoff game before the AFC Championship.

The 28 year old holds an 11-3 record in the postseason and is the owner of an NFL record 107.4 passer rating in the playoffs. Mahomes is the best playoff quarterback in this postseason field.

2. Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns (15 games)

Flacco is one of three quarterbacks in this year’s playoffs with a Super Bowl ring and one of two with a Super Bowl MVP award. He’s also 10-5 as a starter in the playoffs, with all of his previous experience coming as the Ravens’ starting signal-caller.

This year will be Flacco’s first time starting in the playoffs since 2014.

3. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (7 games)

The 35-year-old Georgia product’s Super Bowl run after the 2021 season makes up for his lack of playoff success with the Lions. Stafford is 4-3 as a playoff starter, but he has a 99.0 passer rating and 15 total touchdowns in those seven games.

4. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (4 games)

Hurts is one of two other quarterbacks in the 2023-24 playoff field to have played in a Super Bowl, though neither has a ring. He beats out Jared Goff by virtue of his 84.7 passer rating in four playoff games, higher completion rate and strong contributions as a runner as well as a passer. Hurts has nine total touchdowns in the postseason with just two interceptions and a 2-2 playoff record.

5. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (6 games)

While Goff has experience playing in the Super Bowl, his performances across six playoff games is a bit lackluster. He has a 79.9 passer rating, a 57.4% completion rate and has averaged fewer than 220 passing yards per game in the post season. Goff has a 3-3 record in the playoffs.

6. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (8 games)

Allen has some of the most playoff experience of any quarterback in this year’s playoffs, but he and the Bills have always fallen short of a Lombardi Trophy. The Wyoming product has 19 total touchdowns to four interceptions with a 63.8% completion rate and 99.6 passer rating. Still, he’s 4-4 in the playoffs and has yet to appear in a Super Bowl.

7. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (3 games)

Purdy doesn’t have much playoff experience as a second-year quarterback, but he was statistically impressive in last year’s run to the NFC Championship. The former last overall pick in the draft is 2-1 as a playoff starter with 569 yards, four total touchdowns, no interceptions, a 65.1% completion rate and a 109.8 passer rating across three games.

8. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2 games)

There are three quarterbacks who have never played further than the divisional round in the playoffs. Of the three, Mayfield has the best numbers – though it’s worth noting he also has the smallest sample size. The former Cleveland Brown is 1-1 in the playoffs, boasting a 62% completion rate and 94.0 passer rating with 467 passing yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.

9. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (6 games)

Prescott has been to the playoffs four times and has never won a Divisional Round game. He’s 2-4 as a playoff starter with a 63.3% completion rate, 92.3 passer rating, 1,559 passing yards, 15 total touchdowns and five interceptions.

10. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (4 games)

Jackson has led the Ravens in the playoffs three times (not including last year, when he was injured) and has one win to show for it. The sixth-year NFL veteran has a 55.9% completion rate, a 68.3 passer rating, 900 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and five interceptions. He also has 367 rushing yards on 54 attempts (6.8 average) and one rushing touchdown.

T-11. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers; Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh Steelers; C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans; Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins (0 games)

Four quarterbacks are set to make their playoff debuts in the first round of this postseason. These four starters have 97 regular season starts between them, with Tagovailoa responsible for 51 of them.

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California controller asks Congress to cap deferred payments after Ohtani deal

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Controller Malia M. Cohen wants Congress to change the tax code to cap deferred payments, a change that could ensure the state is owed more money from Shohei Ohtani.

Cohen made the request four weeks after the two-way star and the Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to a record $700 million, 10-year contract that contains $680 million in deferred payments due from 2034-43. If Ohtani is not living in California at the time he receives the deferred money, he potentially could avoid what currently is the state’s 13.3% income tax and 1.1% payroll tax for State Disability Insurance.

“The current tax system allows for unlimited deferrals for those fortunate enough to be in the highest tax brackets, creating a significant imbalance in the tax structure,” Cohen said in a statement Monday. “The absence of reasonable caps on deferral for the wealthiest individuals exacerbates income inequality and hinders the fair distribution of taxes. I would urge Congress to take immediate and decisive action to rectify this imbalance.”

Cohen’s statement was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.

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Cohen became controller last year. She was president of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors in 2018 and ’19.

“Introducing limits on deductions and exemptions for high-income earners promotes social responsibility and contributes to a tax system that is just and beneficial for all,’ she said. ‘This action would not only create a more equitable tax system, but also generate additional revenue that can be directed towards addressing pressing important social issues and fostering economic stability.”

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Dolphins sign two veteran pass rushers to aid injury-ravaged unit

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins signed veteran linebackers Justin Houston and Bruce Irvin on Tuesday and placed three more players on injured reserve.

Houston and Irvin are expected to add depth to a linebacker group that has been decimated by injuries, as Jerome Baker, Cameron Goode and Andrew Van Ginkel have all gone down in the past week.

Miami is preparing for its wild-card game at Kansas City on Saturday night.

Houston is quite familiar with the Chiefs, who selected him in the third round of the 2011 draft. He spent the first eight seasons of his career there before stints with Indianapolis (2019-20), Baltimore (2021-22) and Carolina (2023).

Houston, who turns 35 on Jan. 21, has been selected to four Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro with the Chiefs in 2014. His 112 sacks are third most among active players. He was released by the Panthers last month after signing a one-year deal with the team in August.

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Irvin, 36, was a first-round pick by Seattle in 2012 and most recently played for the Detroit Lions. He has 56 1/2 sacks, three interceptions, 13 passes defensed, 16 forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

Irvin was released from Detroit’s practice squad last week after one sack in two appearances this season.

Miami ended the regular season without its top two edge rushers in Jaelan Phillips (Achilles tendon) and Bradley Chubb (ACL). Baker (wrist), Goode (knee) and Van Ginkel (foot) all suffered injuries in the Dolphins’ regular-season finale against Buffalo that will sideline them for the playoffs.

NFL WILD-CARD WEEKEND INJURIES: Dolphins’ Van Ginkel, Baker, Goode unlikely to return for playoffs

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