Sep 7, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin makes his makes his way down the Walk of Champions prior to the game against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Another fired coach, another opening Kiffin’s name is attached to

BY Taylor Hodges

Another big name coach at a big name college football program has been fired, which means there’s another job opening Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin’s name will be attached to.

LSU pulled the trigger on firing coach Brian Kelly after the Tigers lost to Texas A&M, 49-25 and chants of “Fire Kelly” were prominent in the second half.

And it didn’t take long for Kiffin’s name to start being mentioned by fans and media analysts.

Paul Finebaum even got in on the action Sunday in an appearance on The Matt Barrie Show podcast before Kelly’s firing was decided.

“I’ll just make it simple, LSU is a better job than Florida. Florida has been devalued. I talked to (Tim) Tebow about that yesterday, and most of what you talk about with Florida is in the past. I mean, they have fired four straight coaches. And LSU is a lot different than that. Yeah, they fire a few coaches now and then, but they usually pay it off, and they’re capable of doing that. It’s just a completely different world. Kiffin’s quirky, and would he fit LSU? Probably would. He maybe fits that mindset a little better. Florida is a collection of a lot of different interests and politics, where LSU, if you win, you’re going to be OK at LSU.

“Winning at Oklahoma is a big deal. … That’s one of the biggest wins he’s had. Now last year at home against Georgia probably meant a little more and then he threw it away. (But Kiffin is) in really good shape. I think he’s in the Playoff now, it’s just a matter of how he negotiates the rest of the season,” Finebaum added. “And … not to start more speculation, but Lane Kiffin to LSU, that resonates equal or even more than the (Florida opening). The good news for Ole Miss fans, (in addition to) the fact that Ole Miss is in the Playoff, but the portal window is late this year, which makes it palatable that you can get two games in before the window opens, and that’s a big, big deal.”

Why Lane Kiffin is so popular

LSU, Florida and Penn State are three prominent head coaching positions and each coach was fired because they aren’t doing what Kiffin is doing at Ole Miss.

The Rebels have a 68.8 percent chance of earning a spot in the College Football Playoff and ends the season against South Carolina, The Citadel, Florida and at Mississippi State.

Many of the schools with interim coaches now had playoff aspirations and seeing what Kiffin is doing in Oxford and other coaches like Curt Cignetti at Indiana really puts a spotlight on the unsuccessful coaches.

Combine the success with a popular coach like Kiffin, and it’s no surprise his name is brought up for every college football job that opens. Except for maybe UAB.

It’s annoying for Ole Miss fans, but it’s a good problem to have. It wasn’t that long ago that Ole Miss was like how Mississippi State is right now.

So, just remember to enjoy the good times right now and let the future worry about itself.

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