On Saturday, Lane Kiffin is expected to make one of the biggest decisions of his career as he's expected to announce whether he will stay at Ole Miss or if he'll take the LSU job. Kiffin has become the biggest domino of the coaching carousel as his decision wlll start the rest of the cycle for the SEC, and it could open even more jobs.
The case for the LSU job is clear as the Tigers are perceived to have a higher ceiling with plenty of advantages that Ole Miss can't offer. Having an entire state to yourself at the Power 4 level is a massive recruiting advantage while the Tigers are viewed to have a bigger investment in football.
Lane Kiffin's choice was made even harder by Texas
For Lane Kiffin, the reason we likely haven't seen him come to a decision is the fact that the Rebels have checked every box. LSU hasn't made the College Football Playoff since their 2020 National Championship while Ole Miss just finished the season 11-1 which will be good enough to make the College Football Playoff.
On Friday Night, the Texas A&M Aggies fell against the Texas Longhorns, handing Mike Elko's team their first loss of the season and their first loss in league play. The loss likely makes Lane Kiffin's decision even tougher as it opens the door for Ole Miss to make the SEC Championship Game. If Alabama loses to Auburn in the Iron Bowl, it would send Ole Miss to Atlanta for the first time under Lane Kiffin.
Lane Kiffin is almost in a place where leaving Ole Miss would be a terrible look for his career, wise. If Kiffin is willing to leave Ole Miss on the brink of the College Football Playoff, including missing coaching the Playoff, it would say a ton about what's important to him. Leaving Ole Miss and the program he built up once he reached the mountain top would be a massive blow to his reputation which was only made worse by Texas' win.