Lane Kiffin Knew He Wouldn’t Coach Ole Miss In CFP, Even As Some In Media Lobbied For It | Trey Wallace

There is a major problem with the calendar in college athletics. That's something which needs to be fixed. But, there seems to be one aspect of the Lane Kiffin situation that even the former Ole Miss head coach is harping on, which sent this whole ordeal into a tailspin. 

If you weren't paying attention to the college football coaching carousel Sunday, six jobs were filled within a four-hour span. Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Ole Miss and Michigan State all hired coaches in what felt like a simulation of everything that is wild about this beautiful sport. 

And again, the major part of this situation is the current NCAA calendar. Let me make that clear. 

Lane Kiffin Headed To LSU, Leaves Ole Miss Before School's First CFP Appearance, Blaming AD For Decision

But, only two of those jobs had coaches tied to the college football playoff, as both Tulane and Ole Miss have a path to the postseason. For Jon Sumrall, he accepted the Florida position late Saturday night, with an announcement that followed Sunday afternoon, as OutKick reported. 

Yes, Sumrall will get the opportunity to coach his football team in the AAC championship on Saturday, and potentially the CFP if the Green Wave were to beat North Texas. For the Gators, they don't have to worry about recruiting against Tulane on a yearly basis, even in this new world of NIL and the transfer portal. 

But, the same cannot be said about both Ole Miss and LSU, who are battling for players on a daily basis along the recruiting trail. 

So, even this small point made sense as to why Ole Miss AD Keith Carter did not feel it was right to have Lane Kiffin inside the building and roaming the sideline in three weeks when the Rebels should be hosting a playoff game. 

Lane Kiffin Was Certainly Listening To ESPN's Message

"We were trying to find a way to make this work and coach the team, give them the best chance to win… Maybe all the national people understand why he should let me coach, but he has to live here, and it’s a little different when you’re the AD," Kiffin said to Marty Smith on the Oxford tarmac. 

And if you're wondering who Kiffin was referencing during his conversation with Marty Smith, look no further than ESPN's College Gameday on Saturday morning. 

For what felt like at least four segments, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit and others discussed why they thought Kiffin should’ve been given the chance to coach his now former team when the Rebels took the field next month. 

"I think Ole Miss has to accept that and look at this as a magical thing," Kirk Herbstreit said on Gameday. "You’ve never done what you’re doing right now. Let Lane Kiffin — if he leaves — and these players finish the run this year."

Why in the world would you allow this saga to continue into the playoff? Why would Keith Carter want the entire conversation around Ole Miss in the postseason to center around Lane Kiffin, and at least not have some of that talk be on the actual football team? 

Am I missing something here? Look, I give Lane Kiffin credit for what he did in Oxford, taking Ole Miss to new heights. He's earned the opportunity to accept the LSU job, if that's what the good lord told him to do at the end of this ordeal. 

But what makes someone think that you can take a job at the school's rival, and then expect to stay at your previous school to bask in the glory of a college football playoff appearance? 

In no way is Kiffin's situation similar to Jon Sumrall and the Florida Gators job. And, I'm finding it hard to understand why some people think this would be great for Ole Miss. Would you trust the man to not engage in conversations with star athletes on the Rebels roster pertaining to enter the transfer portal? 

"I think they should let Lane coach his team, number one," Nick Saban said on the same show.

Ole Miss AD Keith Carter Ultimately Did The Right Thing

Look, we will discuss this past weekend for years to come. That could come sooner rather than later if Kiffin doesn't have success at LSU, though I think he will win games almost immediately in Baton Rouge. 

But this saga that unfolded over the past two weeks centered around Kiffin wanting the chance to finish the season with his squad. He had already verbally agreed to become the next LSU head coach last week, multiple sources told OutKick. 

So, this was about him being allowed to participate in the postseason. I can't say I fault him for trying, but at some point you have to show your cards, and he was holding pocket-fours at this table. 

As for Kiffin doing his best to take as many coaches to LSU with him as possible, this left a sour taste in the mouths of Ole Miss officials. It got to a point on Sunday afternoon where even the players had a hard time taking him seriously, which is understandable given the circumstances. 

The conversation around him staying through the postseason should have lasted as long as his flight from Oxford to Baton Rouge. Which was about an hour. There was no need to drag this on, and Ole Miss officials were only looking out for themselves through this situation, which led to them naming Pete Golding as the head coach. 

This story is far from over, but the conversation around whether Lane Kiffin should've been able to coach Ole Miss in the playoff needs to end. 

Do you think Alabama would've allowed Nick Saban to continue coaching his team through the playoff if he had accepted the LSU job during his tenure? 

Exactly.