Ole Miss Reportedly Explored Not Letting Lane Kiffin Coach In Egg Bowl Amid LSU Rumors

Ole Miss reportedly considered preventing former football head coach Lane Kiffin from coaching the team's Nov. 28 Egg Bowl matchup against rival Mississippi State as he pondered leaving for LSU or Florida.

ESPN's Mark Schlabach reported that news on Friday, noting the thought process of both University of Mississippi chancellor Glenn Boyce and Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter.

"Boyce and Carter explored potential ways to keep him from coaching in the Egg Bowl -- and they made it clear that he wouldn't coach in the CFP if he accepted a job at Florida or LSU, Ole Miss sources told ESPN.

"Cooler heads prevailed, and the sides agreed that the Rebels needed to focus on beating Mississippi State and potentially securing a CFP first-round home game, which would be lucrative for both Ole Miss and Oxford.

"'[Kiffin] was looking for a reason to leave,' an Ole Miss source told ESPN. 'When Keith kind of put him on the clock, I think that kind of changed the narrative, changed the landscape a little bit.'"

In the end, Kiffin was allowed to coach the pivotal game, resulting in a 38-19 Ole Miss win. The Rebels, who are ranked sixth in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, are a lock to make the CFP field now.

Two days after the Egg Bowl win, Kiffin left for LSU. He said in a statement that he wanted to finish the season out as Ole Miss' head coach but wasn't allowed.

Defensive coordinator Pete Golding has now taken over as head coach. He'll seemingly lead Ole Miss into a first-round matchup on Dec. 19 or 20 in Oxford against a to-be-determined opponent.

As for Kiffin, he's moved onto LSU, which signed the 50-year-old to a seven-year contract worth $13 million annually.