Friday was expected to be Decision Day on the Lane Kiffin Sweepstakes. And as Friday afternoon turned into Friday evening, we finally got the announcement we've been waiting for.
Ole Miss announced when Kiffin will make his long-awaited announcement. He'll tell us next Saturday, Rebels AD Keith Carter said in a statement.
Let’s lock in and focus on keeping the Golden Egg! pic.twitter.com/5xPfDozhl2
— Keith Carter (@KeithCarterOM) November 21, 2025
At 10-1, 6th-ranked Ole Miss is a virtual lock to make the College Football Playoff, but the Rebels are also a long shot to reach the SEC Championship. With Georgia already in the clubhouse at 7-1, and the Bulldogs holding head-to-head over the Rebels, Ole Miss would need losses by Texas A&M and Alabama next weekend to have a game to prepare for the following Saturday, Dec. 6.
Long story short: by kicking the can down the road to next Saturday, Ole Miss would have three weeks to prepare for a CFP game without Kiffin in the event he leaves for LSU and Florida.
And one would think that if Kiffin had decided by now he wants to remain at Ole Miss, they would have just told us that on Friday instead of dragging this out another eight days.
But while Friday's news indicates a possible departure that could affect future Ole Miss seasons, it also threatens to torpedo this season. The CFP's selection committee protocol indicates the committee can, will, and should dock Ole Miss in the event their head coach leaves. The committee is directed to consider strength of schedule, head-to-head, comparative outcomes and, in the final bullet point: "Other relevant factors such as unavailability of key players and coaches that may have affected a team’s performance during the season or likely will affect its postseason performance."
Stay tuned.