Nick Saban Blames NCAA Calendar, Not Lane Kiffin, For Ole Miss Mess

While three teams await a decision from Lane Kiffin about his coaching future amid plenty of rumors and reporting, his former boss, Nick Saban, did his best to sway the court of public opinion away from the mess that's ongoing in Oxford. 

The past two weeks have been one of the wildest stretches from a coaching perspective that we have seen in quite some time. 

There have obviously been coaching decisions in the past that have become a topic of conversation during the season, but the ongoing Lane Kiffin drama has essentially told those past instances to ‘Hold My Beer.'

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In reality, we've really never seen anything like this before when it comes to outside distractions. If you haven't been paying attention, and good for you, this essentially kicked into overdrive earlier in the week, as Kiffin sent family members to both Baton Rouge and Gainesville to get a look at each city. 

The aftermath led to an awkward appearance by Lane Kiffin on the Pat McAfee show, followed by an SEC teleconference that will assuredly rank among the best media calls of all-time. 

But, for former Alabama coach Nick Saban, the blame shouldn't be on Lane Kiffin for how this has all played out. No, it's the NCAA calendar's fault that Kiffin has essentially had his agency flaunt the fact that there are three separate teams fighting over his services next season. 

"Everybody should be thinking about the players, everybody should be thinking about the student-athletes," Saban mentioned. "Players should be able to play for their coach for the entire season. Players shouldn’t be penalized if a coach leaves, because the committee has the opportunity. If a player or coach doesn’t participate, they can sink you in the rankings. 

"So, Ole Miss could go down in the rankings and lose a home (playoff) game. So the players are being penalized."

Ok, let's not go completely overboard here, Coach Saban. We're all thinking about the players right now, as the storylines aren't centered around their playoff run, but more on the head coach potentially making a move. 

I Agree With Nick Saban, Though Lane Kiffin Added To Circus

"In the NFL, you can not leave your team until you've finished playing, you can't talk to another coach in the regular season," Nick Saban discussed. "There's a defined time for when you can talk to them if you're in the playoffs. That's the way it should be, and we should match the academic calander with the football calendar. 

"We shouldn't have an early signing day that conflicts with people wanting to hire a new coach. A portal situation where you have to hire an early coach, or fire your coach early. None of this is fair to the players."

Personally, I don't disagree with Coach Saban. I actually think it's a great idea to have this stuff transpire in late spring, but this is the current card being dealt. 

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So, while I do understand the predicament Lane Kiffin finds himself in, and most importantly Ole Miss, it's not as if this calendar snuck up on them over the past month. There is room to grow on all sides, and I'm talking about the NCAA. 

Don't forget, coaches have a very big say in what transpires from a rules' perspective, which is why we will only have one transfer portal period moving forward. 

But, to act as if Lane Kiffin's representatives haven't played a massive part in this nonsense, along with both Florida and LSU folks essentially making sure everyone knows what they are prepared to offer, is being short-sided. 

This whole ordeal has now turned into a burning fire that cannot be contained. If Lane Kiffin leaves for LSU or Florida, he will be remembered for bolting on his Ole Miss players before the biggest stretch in school history. 

If he decides to stay in Oxford, then this whole charade will have been one of the worst PR mistakes in college football history.