If Lane Kiffin Skipped Ole Miss–Georgia CFP Sugar Bowl Because ESPN Rejected Him, Good On The Network

NEW ORLEANS — Located just 80 miles north in Baton Rouge on the campus of LSU, head coach Lane Kiffin has decided not to attend tonight's quarterfinal between his former team Ole Miss, and the Georgia Bulldogs. 

Over the past week, there have been multiple conversations around whether the Tigers head coach would make an appearance to watch his former team. Louisiana governor Jeff Landry had even invited him to sit in his suite for the Sugar Bowl showdown. 

But, it seems as though there was one caveat to him making the drive to New Orleans, and it all reportedly centered around getting as much television time as possible from ESPN. 

Multiple sources told OutKick that Kiffin had contemplated showing up in New Orleans, dating back to before Christmas, if Ole Miss had made it to the Sugar Bowl.

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Just last week, Lane Kiffin made an appearance on the network during the Texas Bowl, which featured his new team, LSU. OK, that one made sense, given that he was promoting his new school, and it's hard to turn down an interview with the coach. 

This week, although he reportedly made attempts to persuade the network into having him back in the announcers' booth, it looks as though ESPN said ‘no, thanks’ to a repeat appearance. 

So, that meant Kiffin would also have another reason for not attending the matchup, deciding to attend an LSU women's basketball game instead. 

Right, like Kiffin is not going to be paying attention to everything going on inside the Superdome. Oh, and there is also another massive financial bonus that LSU would pay Kiffin, if Ole Miss were to win. 

While negotiating his contract with LSU, the school agreed to pay his playoff bonuses from Ole Miss, which rise after every playoff win. 

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I'm not going to lie, this is the best thing for all sides. ESPN does not need the PR backlash of having the head coach of LSU on television while two other teams from the SEC are competing on the field. 

Also, what else can Lane Kiffin say about Ole Miss that he hasn't said over the past three weeks? 

Good on ESPN if this were the case, as the Rebels and Bulldogs deserve the attention tonight, not the LSU head coach.