Will Lane Kiffin Attend Ole Miss vs. Georgia CFP Quarterfinal After Taking LSU HC Job?

LSU head coach Lane Kiffin will not attend the Sugar Bowl between Ole Miss, and Georgia in New Orleans, the school announced Thursday.

Jacques Doucet of WAFB-TV passed along word from LSU, noting Kiffin is set to attend the Tigers' women's basketball game against Kentucky.

After the announcement, Kiffin responded to a post on social media joking about the decision:

On Tuesday, Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported it was possible Kiffin could attend the game and that the head coach was "at least considering" attending with Louisiana governor Jeff Landry.

Kiffin coached Ole Miss from 2020-2025 before leaving the Rebels for LSU on Nov. 30. Ole Miss went 11-1 in the regular season before earning a No. 6 seed in the College Football Playoff. The Rebels defeated No. 11 seed Tulane 41-10 in the first round to advance to the quarterfinals.

Kiffin didn't leave Ole Miss on great terms, and it was a messy departure to say the least.

It's no surprise that he'd like to watch his old team, though. Kiffin led the Rebels to great heights over six years, with the team going 55-19 overall (32-17 in SEC) under his watch.

The Rebels finished ninth in the final Associated Press poll once and 11th twice in his tenure, and Ole Miss will certainly finish this year in the top eight at absolute worst this season. Four of his seasons resulted in 10 or more victories as well.

In addition, numerous coaches who will be leaving Ole Miss for LSU eventually to join Kiffin are still with the Rebels for now to guide them through the CFP run. That includes Charlie Weis Jr., the offensive coordinator.

Kiffin's presence at the game certainly would have been interesting. The game is fascinating in itself, though, as Ole Miss looks to continue its run without Kiffin in hopes of the school's first national championship since 1960 (and second overall). No. 3 Georgia is seeking its fourth national title and third since 2021.

This is a rematch from Oct. 18, when UGA beat Ole Miss 43-35.

This quarterfinal game will take place at 8 p.m. ET tonight from New Orleans' Caesars Superdome.