The obvious Billy Napier replacement has never been more clear for Florida football

Entering the bye before The Cocktail Party, Florida ripped the band-aid off and fired head coach Billy Napier. This came after Florida actually eked out a two-point home victory over Mississippi State to exit Week 8 with a 3-4 record on the campaign. However, this move to punt on Napier may have everything to do with getting out ahead of potentially courting Florida's presumed top target here.

That would be Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin. Since reinventing himself by way of the Nick Saban coaching rehabilitation program in Tuscaloosa, he has won everywhere he has been since. This includes a great run at Ole Miss over the last several seasons, as well as a three-year stint at Florida Atlantic. Kiffin apparently loved being a Florida Man during his time in Boca Raton previously.

Dan Thompson of Stadium and Gale believes Kiffin will be the top target that Florida will pursue here.

However, you can clearly see that his mega agent in Jimmy Sexton accompanied Kiffin to Athens.

Either way, Kiffin's bank account is about to explode, despite Ole Miss never stopping Georgia once.

Lane Kiffin will elevate Florida, but will he help the Gators separate?

No doubt about it, Kiffin is every bit the coaching personality of Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer. Prying him away from Ole Miss would conceivably send shockwaves through the sport. However, Kiffin is still too much of a loose cannon to be able to take the vitriol that often comes with this job. He has been hated before by people at Tennessee and USC, so does he really want that type of setup?

In a way, Kiffin is in a perfect spot at Ole Miss. He is good enough in his post to guide the Rebels to around 10 wins annually. That should be good enough to make the College Football Playoff most years, but he has yet to see Ole Miss punch its ticket into the expanded 12-team tournament. After experiencing his first loss of the season, Ole Miss might need to win out to ensure itself of a berth.

Right now, the world is Kiffin's oyster. He can either stay put at Ole Miss for as long as he likes, making millions along the way being the Rebels' greatest head coach since Johnny Vaught. Or he can bet on himself once again and take the Lane Train out of Oxford Station and roll on down the track to Central Florida. Gainesville needs a presence. It needs something. Maybe Kiffin can offer the Gators just that?

Regardless, Kiffin is about to make Curt Cignetti money now because leverage is a beautiful thing.