Paul Finebaum 'in' on Lane Kiffin winning a national championship at LSU

Paul Finebaum is all in on Lane Kiffin, as long as he signs his deal, winning a national title at LSU. Except Brian Kelly, three of the four coaches this century have done so in Baton Rouge.

Based on his success at Ole Miss, expect Kiffin to be the fourth guy to do so according to Finebaum. Ole Miss fans will surely be rational about this right?

Kiffin led the Rebels to an 11-1 regular season and they’re bound to make the College Football Playoff. Plugged in with the resources and recruiting base at LSU, he should be able to do the same, if not better, per Finebaum.

“I’m in because that’s why this whole thing happened,” Finebaum said on SportsCenter. “That’s why everybody coveted Lane Kiffin. He is that good of an offensive coach. He attracts players. He’s the king of the portal. And you saw what he did with Ole Miss this year. You’re seeing what he’s doing with Ole Miss. I think he can do the exact same thing in Baton Rouge, where a lot of coaches, except Brian Kelly, three in a row have won national championships. Lane Kiffin will win a national championship in Baton Rouge.”

Kelly went 34-14 at LSU, a pretty good record. But after back to back 10-win seasons, he went 9-4 in 2024 and 5-3 before being let go this year. 2025 was seen as, basically, national championship or bust and it was anything but.

The Kiffin to LSU saga heated up Saturday night. Per Yahoo Sports‘ Ross Dellenger, LSU executives and Kiffin’s representatives held a call following the Tigers’ 17-13 loss to No. 8 Oklahoma on Saturday. The University is sending two planes to Oxford on Sunday for Kiffin, his family, and others.

Kiffin was been highly sought after this season following a remarkable year with Ole Miss. Things reportedly went south with potential Florida negotiations earlier this week, leaving LSU as the most likely potential destination for the Ole Miss coach. But the logistics of a potential move, should Kiffin accept the Tigers gig, have remained a hurdle.

“I’m told if he wanted to stay he would have already said so,” ESPN’s Marty Smith said. “One sticking point still being considered, I’m told: If he did leave, whether or not he’ll coach the Ole Miss Rebels in the College Football Playoff.”