One team has been eliminated from the Lane Kiffin sweepstakes

As Ole Miss and Mississippi State kicked off in the Egg Bowl on Friday afternoon, one team was eliminated from contention in Lane Kiffin’s pending decision. Florida will no longer pursue Kiffin, per reports from On3’s Zach Abolverdi and Chris Low. Instead, the Gators will focus on other targets moving forward.

Kiffin has been the most talked about coach in this cycle and now it appears he’s down to staying at Ole Miss or leaving for LSU in the coming days. Ole Miss expects a decision by Saturday, bringing a close to a chaotic past month of rumors and chatter.

Reports regarding LSU’s search have hovered around Kiffin as the top target since the position came open about a month ago. Now the Tigers hope to have their new head coach set this weekend, propelling them into the future.

Kiffin spoke in a pregame interview with Marty Smith on the field this morning ahead of the noon kickoff at Davis Wade Stadium for No. 7 Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl. He provided little else on his plans for where he’ll be coaching next season, with him trying to help complete the winningest regular season in the history of Mississippi. Then, postgame, Kiffin is trying to get back home for another reason as well.

“But, hey, today is about this game. And, like you said, 11 wins potentially for the first time in school history. That’s the first time for 11 wins in the entire state, by any program, in the regular season. So, a lot on the line, and our guys are focused and ready to play,” said Kiffin. “This noise thing you’re referring to? This has been going on for weeks. This isn’t new for us.”

“I’m looking at we kick off in, what, an hour and a half or something like that. That’s all I’m worried about today,” Kiffin said of any “timeline” on a choice to be made by him. “And then, after that, let’s go watch Knox beat Tupelo at Oxford High School.”

Florida and LSU fired Billy Napier and Brian Kelly, respectively, during the season. But now that the Gators are onto other candidates, all of LSU’s eggs are in the proverbial Kiffin basket. An announcement on a potential decision for the long time head coach was expected Saturday. But perhaps things will be clearer as the game nears its end Friday afternoon.