Columbia. Mo. ? Gary Pinkel helped lead long-suffering Missouri into college football’s elite ranks this year. Now he has the contract to match that lofty perch.

On Sunday, Missouri athletic director Mike Alden announced that Pinkel will receive a $550,000 annual raise and a one-year contract extension. That gives Pinkel a guaranteed $1.85 million a year.

The new five-year deal extends Pinkel’s contract through 2012 and marks the second season in a row he earned a pay raise. Late last season, Pinkel was given a $225,000 raise and three-year extension.

The pay raise makes him the third-highest-paid head coach in the Big 12 Conference, behind only Bob Stoops of Oklahoma and Mack Brown of Texas, both of whom make in excess of $2.6 million annually.