Overview
- Lane Kiffin has been introduced as LSU’s head coach on a reported seven-year, roughly $91 million contract that includes postseason and championship bonuses.
- Several Ole Miss players, including Brycen Sanders and Suntarine Perkins, publicly disputed Kiffin’s statement that the team asked for him to coach the Rebels through the playoff.
- Athletic director Keith Carter said Kiffin and his representatives knew weeks earlier that he would not be allowed to coach Ole Miss in the postseason if he was no longer the head coach.
- Ole Miss elevated defensive coordinator Pete Golding to head coach for the playoff, and departing offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. received permission to call the offense during the run.
- Kiffin described a hostile sendoff from some fans on his way to the Oxford airport, and he drew additional criticism from figures such as Bill Cowher and from Eli Manning, who questioned his engagement before the Egg Bowl.