Ole Miss Turns The Page With Pete Golding, Even If Lane Kiffin Couldn’t Help Himself With Mid-Game Antics

OXFORD, Miss. — Two things can be true at once. Ole Miss played well enough under Pete Golding Saturday to secure its first college football playoff win, 41-10 over Tulane. Meanwhile, Tulane's performance will once again spark an argument about whether the Green Wave actually deserved to be playing on Saturday night. 

We can argue until we're blue in the face about whether this Ole Miss team can make a run past the quarterfinals, as the Rebels will start preparing for a rematch with the Georgia Bulldogs, this time in New Orleans on January 1st. 

In front of the largest crowd in Ole Miss football history, head coach Pete Golding walked on to the field to a rousing ovation, making his debut to the college football world three weeks after being named Lane Kiffin's replacement. 

Oxford Rises: Ole Miss Fans Are 'Over' Lane Kiffin, And Ready For The College Football Playoff

For the first time in what felt like the entire season, the focus was on the players, not the head coach. But, even during their first CFP appearance in program history, the former head coach was tweeting through his emotions, once again hoping to shift the focus back on himself, and not the guys who actually put Ole Miss in this position. 

As for the conversation surrounding the offensive playcalling of Charlie Weis Jr., head coach Pete Golding was not worried about the commitment from an assistant coach who also has a signed contract with LSU. If it wasn't apparent during the lead up to this game against Tulane, Golding made it clear during his postgame press conference that this was an important night for Weis, for a multitude of reasons. 

"I had zero concern with Charlie Weis calling this thing for one reason: Charlie Weis cannot afford not to call a hell of a game," Pete Golding said postgame, taking a subtle shot at the former Ole Miss coach. "All he's heard is all Lane Kiffin's offense, Lane Kiffin's offense, Lane Kiffin's offense. This is his one opportunity for people to realize Charlie Weis calls the offense -- just like he's done all year -- and did a great job tonight."

But, tonight was about the Rebels turning the page, moving on from the Lane Kiffin drama with a nice home-cooked meal. This was about the players moving on from the circus that hung over them like a black cloud during the previous six weeks. 

This was about Ole Miss starting a new chapter, which wasn't hard to notice in the fourth quarter when fans started chanting "Pete, Pete, Pete!!". 

Heroes Welcome For Pete Golding. Kiffin Couldn't Help Himself

I'm sure Lane Kiffin was either on a boat or in his new home in Baton Rouge watching his former team dismantle the AAC conference champion. I would imagine it was hard for him at times, most likely yelling at the television over a call that offensive coordinator Charlie Weiss Jr. had made during the third quarter. 

And yes, I'm willing to bet my two-week paycheck that Kiffin will be inside the Superdome on New Year's Day to watch the Rebels take on Georgia, or at least contemplating it. 

But this is Pete Golding's team now, and that part is easy to notice, at least on the defensive side of the ball. It's hard to gauge a coach off of one game, and even harder on a rematch against one of the best teams in college football, though he will get that opportunity in New Orleans. 

OXFORD, Miss. - Head coach Pete Golding of the Ole Miss Rebels looks on prior to the 2025 College Football Playoff First Round Game against the Tulane Green Wave at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on December 20, 2025. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

Lane Kiffin could not help himself during the third quarter, when he decided to tweet out stats pertaining to his offensive production when communicating through a headset. Yes, he actually did this, while tagging LSU Football in the process. 

Once again, trying to make it about himself, as he also received $250,000 thanks to his new contract at LSU. Yes, the Tigers are paying out his postseason bonuses for what Ole Miss does during this playoff run. 

And sure, this turned into a great environment for college football, until the second half at least. 

Lost in the final score will be the argument of whether Tulane deserved to be in Oxford on Saturday afternoon. The answer to that question is no, but that's not the fault of the Green Wave, but more so of the conference commissioners who voted this into place. 

Complain About The CFP Process, But This Is The Format Voted On

I'm not going to sit here and act as though Tulane didn’t deserve to take the field against Ole Miss, because the rules are in place for this type of scenario. 

So, until the CFP committee decides to change them, we can stop bickering about the process. 

But that doesn't mean a change should not be coming in the future. Even Tulane coach Jon Sumrall mentioned the talent discrepancy during his interview before leaving the field at halftime. 

Jon Sumrall's team did what it was supposed to do in order to make the playoff. So, let's not take that moment from Tulane. For all the conversations around James Madison and the G-6 conferences, it wasn't their fault that the ACC champion wasn't good enough in the eyes of CFP members to make it into the playoff. 

The same can be said for Tulane, which looked over-matched following its second drive of the first quarter that resulted in a turnover. But, just as we've seen in the past, this is not the NCAA Basketball Tournament, where an upset of magnificent proportions can occur in the first round.  

Ole Miss defeats Tulane to open the college football playoff. Via: Trey Wallace

Simply put, conference commissioners had better figure this whole format deal out in short order, or ESPN is going to have a hard time selling these games to other networks in the future. I would imagine most football fans at home were already preparing to see what Oregon would do in the first half against James Madison, while keeping an eye on the NFL games. 

I want to be clear, this environment in Oxford lived up to the hype. But, there's only so much you can do when playing an inferior opponent. I actually credit the Ole Miss fans for sticking around, at least until the light show was completed after the sun set to the west. 

But, until the format is changed, you can expect these types of games. 

Now, the attention turns towards what should be an entertaining quarterfinal rematch between Ole Miss and Georgia. 

We can only hope it plays out in the same fashion as their previous game in Athens.