One of the excuses most often cited for Lane Kiffin’s clunky and messy exit from Ole Miss ahead of a College Football Playoff appearance is the calendar.
It’s one reason that’s been given, most notably by Nick Saban, because of when major events take place. For example, National Signing Day is on Wednesday and the transfer portal window opens after the quarterfinal round of the CFP.
“Obviously, the last 48 hours, in a lot of ways, sucked,” Kiffin said at his introductory press conference on Monday. “The only way I can describe it, (is that) it sucked for a lot of people. There was no way to possibly do it, in my opinion, any better than we did (from a) timing standpoint, because it’s a bad scheduling system of how it’s set up.
“Eventually, hopefully it gets like the NFL where can’t do that in the season and don’t have to make those decisions.”
Others disagree
Like many things involving Kiffin, that’s not entirely true.
We know the reason he left for LSU is because he thinks that’s where he can win championships. That is what’s “different” about LSU that Kiffin talked about Monday.
But we also know the last month didn’t have to play out like it did. Kiffin didn’t have to send his family, publicly to Gainesville and Baton Rouge. He could’ve chosen to stay with the Rebels through the playoffs and wait for the next blue blood job to open up.
There’s so many things that could’ve been done differently, but the PR machine is hard at work blaming the calendar for such a messy breakup.
Some people, though, aren’t buying it. One of them is ESPN’s Heather Dinich, who explained some of the underlying issues.
“College football is not like the NFL, right. You cannot, contract-wise, operate the same way with 10 FBS conferences and commissioners, and the timing that is college football,” Dinich said. “That is unique.
“The problem is not the calendar, because, at the end of the day, this is a legal issue. You can’t tell people when they can and cannot take jobs. This is an ethical and moral compass issue.
“The NCAA has already changed the transfer portal window. I don’t sense any interest from leaders to change it again. This is just about the decision-making of these coaches…This is happening all over the place, and it’s a decision that the coaches are making.”
How to handle it differently
Dinich also provided an example of how this process could’ve been handled differently.
“Every coach, including Lane Kiffin, preaches the Bo Schembechler line of the team, the team, the team – until it’s about me. And, if it’s not about money, then there’s a different way to handle it,” Dinich said. “It is possible to say, ‘You know what, thank you so much for your interest, LSU and Florida. I’m going to focus on my team, and then we can have these conversations when I’m done. And, if you can’t wait for me to do that, then go ahead and move on, but that’s what I need to do is focus on this’. This happens all the time in jobs across America. So, there’s a different way to handle it.
“Look at Kalani Sitake and Penn State right now. Our colleague, Pete Thamel, has reported there’s mutual interest between the two. And, you know what Sitake said? I got to focus on the Big 12 Championship,” Dinich added. “So, don’t tell me there’s not another way to handle it.”
She’s absolutely correct.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Kiffin just didn’t have the will to handle this differently.
.@CFBHeather doesn't believe the CFB calendar is the issue when it comes to coaches leaving before the end of the season.
"This is a legal issue. You can't tell people when they can and cannot take jobs. This is an ethical and moral compass issue." pic.twitter.com/Cml2Nus0D2
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) December 2, 2025
