Paul Finebaum suggests Lane Kiffin announcement could be delayed by 'other dominoes' in coaching carousel

The entire college football world has its eyes on Oxford, waiting on the decision from head coach Lane Kiffin on where he is going to coach next season. That decision is expected to come this Saturday, following the Egg Bowl.

At least, that’s when almost everyone expects the Ole Miss head coach to make his decision. ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum shared that he believes Kiffin could try and delay his decision, keeping his options open as other dominoes on the coaching carousel continue to fall.

“Well, it’s very difficult because we think that’s what’s going to happen,” Paul Finebaum said on Get Up. “Now, we’re also talking about Lane Kiffin here, who is one of the most difficult people in America to guess and predict accurately. So, that is the conventional wisdom. He’ll say something Saturday. His son has a high school football game on Friday night. So, he’ll go from his game to his son’s game.”

It would appear that Lane Kiffin is deciding between three options. He can stay at Ole Miss. Then, he could go to LSU or he could go to Florida. It’s also been reported that all three are offering him contracts in the range of $13 million annually.

“But what if he doesn’t? If he doesn’t announce on Saturday, watch out,” Finebaum said. “Because then he may be waiting for other dominoes to fall. Let’s say a certain other team loses and maybe that coach goes somewhere else. You never know with Lane Kiffin.”

It’s obviously not fair to speculate about a fourth team in the running for Lane Kiffin. However, Paul Finebaum does seem to have something in mind.

Certainly, all of that would be a shock. In particular, after Ole Miss AD Keith Carter shared last Friday that he met with Lane Kiffin. In that meeting, the two agreed on getting a decision following the Egg Bowl, so that Ole Miss can move forward for the College Football Playoff.

The Egg Bowl’s Impact on Ole Miss and the College Football Playoff

Many people expect that Ole Miss is effectively already in the College Football Playoff. However, as Heather Dinich added on Get Up, with a loss amid all the distractions surrounding Lane Kiffin, the Rebels could slide in the rankings.

“I would just add on to what Paul said about Ole Miss,” Heather Dinich said. “Because their schedule strength is the 15th-ranked schedule in the SEC. So, if they lose the Egg Bowl, it’s not going to be because they have interim coach drama,” Finebaum said. “All kinds of things. It’s because they’re going to be out of the College Football Playoff, with Lane Kiffin on the sideline if they lose the Egg Bowl because of that schedule strength.”

For now, Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss want their focus on the Egg Bowl and winning that game. Mississippi State is set to host at 12:00 p.m. EST on Black Friday.