Before the end of the day, you should give Ross Dellenger's feature for Yahoo Sports a read. He tried to unpack the intriguing curiosity that is Lane Kiffin leading the way of one of college football's best teams. Kiffin has Ole Miss on the verge of its first-ever College Football Playoff berth in year six at the helm. The Rebels are 9-1 with only games vs. Florida and arch rival Mississippi State left to be played.
It is only fitting that Kiffin has been connected to the Florida head-coaching vacancy in the wake of Billy Napier being let go in Gainesville. Kiffin has built something fairly remarkable in Oxford, but Florida is the program with the better football history. He needs to decide if he wants to be the 21st century version of Johnny Vaught at Ole Miss, or become the next Steve Spurrier or Urban Meyer.
Of the many things Kiffin told Dellenger on the record, perhaps his last quote is the most substantial...
Lane Kiffin discusses the dichotomy of staying at or leaving Ole Miss
This quote from Kiffin does a remarkable job of explaining the changing landscape of college football.
“I grew up picturing I’d be at one of the elite blue bloods where you can sign top-five classes every year because of your in-state talent and facilities and tradition. I wasn’t raised to think it was a program like Ole Miss, but I’ve also changed a lot over the years. I didn’t grow up thinking this was the final chapter of the story."
He has familial reasons to stay in Oxford for a little while longer. Kiffin's son Knox is the starting quarterback at Oxford High School as a sophomore. His daughter Landry is a junior at the University of Mississippi right now. Given that he has mega agent Jimmy Sexton representing him, Kiffin is going to get paid one way or another. To be frank, it is likely going to be either Florida or Ole Miss for Kiffin.
The Florida job offers a lot of intrigue, but it is one that has a reputation for devouring good to mediocre coaches alive. Kiffin seems to be cut from the same cloth that made Spurrier and Meyer legends. He did have a ton of success previously during his three-year run leading the Florida Atlantic Owls over in Boca Raton. Kiffin did say he did not expect for Ole Miss to be his final coaching chapter.
Even if he is a great fit at Ole Miss, it has always felt like Kiffin had one more move left in him anyway.
Lane Kiffin leaves his next coaching move up to everyone's imagination
Reading between the lines, it is going to come down to one thing and one thing only. That would obviously be money. Barring some unforeseen catastrophe, Ole Miss is effectively a lock to make the College Football Playoff. At 9-1 on the season, Ole Miss is being given an 80.2-percent chance to make the 12-team playoff, per ESPN's Football Power Index. The Rebels are among eight virtual locks.
Since Kiffin can make the College Football Playoff at a school like Ole Miss, it is not as pressing to get to a more prestigious program like Florida at this time. Had it been just three years ago, Florida would have an even better chance of landing him. Right now, this feels like a lateral move of sorts. He could conceivably take it or leave it, so long as the money is equal. Could Ole Miss pay up to Florida's level?
That is going to come down to what Keith Carter and the rest of the Ole Miss athletic department can put together in conjuction with Sexton, who is obviously pitting both sides against each other. He wins as long as Kiffin gets paid, no matter the institution. It may come down to how badly Scott Stricklin wants Kiffin. If it is a bidding war, then Florida will have a serious shot at prying Kiffin away.
For now, let's see how Florida holds up vs. Ole Miss on Saturday afternoon. That will be a telling sign.