Lane Kiffin reveals his emotions watching Ole Miss win in first round of College Football Playoff

It was a bittersweet moment for Lane Kiffin to watch Ole Miss make easy work of Tulane in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Previously the coach of the Rebels, Kiffin built the team that made the CFP for the first time in program history this year but was not on the sidelines.

That’s because he recently accepted the job to become the next head coach at LSU in 2026. As such, Ole Miss informed Kiffin he would not be allowed to coach the team through the playoffs.

That didn’t stop him from watching from afar, however, as the Rebels won 41-10 against Tulane a week ago. He joined the ESPN2 broadcast on Saturday’s Texas Bowl matchup between LSU and Houston, where he described his emotions watching the success of his now former squad.

“It was awesome,” Kiffin said. “It was a great day. It really was. I’m not just saying that. To watch those guys and how much they were smiling having that success. It wwas the biggest game in the history of the state of Mississippi. To blow out Tulane like that, it was awesome watching them. I was really excited for them.”

Kiffin had more reasons than one to be happy for the Rebels win, as it also secured him a $250,000 bonus as part of his contract. LSU is required to pay the bonus rather than Ole Miss.

The Rebels got three total touchdowns out of quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who was also 23-of-29 passing for 282 yards in the win against the Green Wave. But it was the defense, which forced three turnovers, that was the true star of the show.

That makes sense, as it was defensive coordinator Pete Golding who took over the head coach position after Kiffin left. He’ll be tasked with leading the Rebels not only through the remainder of the playoffs, but also into next year as well.

Lane Kiffin’s high-profile departure for LSU came after Ole Miss took down Mississippi State to complete the first 11-win regular season in program history. He was vocal about wanting to finish out the year with his team, but will have to settle to watch them from a distance.

Ole Miss next faces Georgia in a rematch of the only regular season game that the Rebels lost this year. Kickoff for that game is set for 8 p.m. ET on New Year’s Day with a trip to the semifinals on the line.