The Lane Kiffin sweepstakes rages on as another weekend of college football action draws near.
Ole Miss is hoping to keep its head coach, but Florida and LSU have reportedly made significant offers to the hottest name in the head coaching market this cycle. A decision from the head coach or Ole Miss administrators is expected to come on Saturday, Nov. 29 — just one day after the Rebels’ final game of the regular season against Mississippi State.
Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter set the Saturday deadline in a public statement, putting a timeline on Kiffin to make his move.
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If the head coach decides to leave Ole Miss for either Florida or LSU, college football insider Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported the school is expected to forbid Kiffin from coaching in the College Football Playoff.
“There does seem to be an ultimatum this week: Sign a lucrative extension with the program or leave immediately for another job. If he chooses to leave, Kiffin is not expected to coach the playoff — a decision that school officials have arrived at over the past several weeks (not such a surprise given Kiffin’s actions up to this point),” Dellenger reported.
After announcing the newest playoff rankings, chairman Hunter Yurachek admitted Ole Miss could be penalized in the rankings if Kiffin opts to leave the program — meaning the school might not even make the playoff if he leaves before the final rankings are revealed.
“We’ll take care of that when it happens. Loss of player or loss of key coach is in the principles of how we rank. We don’t have a data point for Ole Miss without the head coach. It could be considered by the committee,” he said.
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