Paul Finebaum predicts Florida job will distract Lane Kiffin, hurt CFP hopes

The Georgia Bulldogs went on a 17-0 run in the fourth quarter on Saturday to put away the Ole Miss Rebels. It was Ole Miss’ first loss of the season, and it’s now put head coach Lane Kiffin and his team in an interesting spot.

The goal for Ole Miss is still to make it to the College Football Playoff. The problem is that there is less room for error now. This also comes at a time when Kiffin is going to be courted by the Florida Gators, which could act as a distraction in its own right.

On Monday, Paul Finebaum appeared on SportsCenter to play a game of Paul-in or Paul-out. There, Finebaum explained that he’s concerned about the Oklahoma game next week, mixed with a possibly distracted Kiffin, are going to cost Ole Miss.

“I was Paulie positive,” Paul Finebaum said. “But no more. I am going to say not fine because this weekend is critical. Now, if they can win against Oklahoma, they’ll go back to being fine. That’s a whole other story. Their schedule is pretty manageable after that. I think all they have is a road game remaining at Starkville, but I’m going to say, ‘No,’ because, frankly, I think Lane Kiffin is gonna be distracted by the Florida job.”

This is far from the first time Lane Kiffin has been involved in coaching rumors since he landed at Ole Miss. He was also floated for the Auburn job in the 2022 season. That year, Ole Miss would lose four in a row and five of six games to end the season after starting 7-0. Hugh Freeze, meanwhile, got the Auburn job while Kiffin landed an extension at Ole Miss.

On with Paul Finebaum was Heather Dinich. She explained that she wasn’t concerned about Lane Kiffin’s name coming up in job searches. What she is concerned about is the Oklahoma game. On the road in Norman, that’s a tough matchup. Losing it would give the Rebels a second loss and really put them in the corner as their College Football Playoff hopes are concerned.

“I thought they were fine until Paul got rid of Lane Kiffin. I do think that they’re fine, I really like their offense, I like Trinidad Chambliss, I was surprised by how they played, I do think that if you asked me this question next week, though,” Dinich said. “And they’ve lost to Oklahoma, you’re gonna get a different answer.”

For now, the goal at Ole Miss remains to win the SEC and go to the College Football Playoff. To do that, they’re going to need to focus on next week’s task. That’s the Oklahoma Sooners and not a potential future job or any other game down the line.