Lane Kiffin was barred from coaching Ole Miss in the CFP run after he accepted the LSU job. The Rebels promptly elevated DC Pete Golding to coach the team. Although Kiffin wanted to coach his former team, he said he had no choice but to accept the Tigers’ job. Now, nearly six months after Kiffin’s move, LSU AD confesses Ole Miss’ decision was right.

“I’d probably be like, ‘Nah, we ain’t doing that. No,'” said Ausberry in an interview with USA Today. “But that hand wasn’t dealt. If I’m Ole Miss, I probably would’ve made the same decision. I know LSU would’ve made the same decision. I don’t blame anybody.”

Before the 11-1 Rebels embarked on their first-ever CFP run, Lane Kiffin accepted a seven-year, $91 million contract to take over the head coaching vacancy at LSU. While Kiffin expressed at the time that being barred from coaching the CFP run “suc-ed,” Ole Miss leadership stood their ground. And the decision not to let Kiffin coach resonated with some senior players, who noted that Kiffin’s attempt to coach through the playoffs felt like a distraction and an effort to “steal our shine” during the biggest moment.

Even Ausberry acknowledged that leaving a program for a direct SEC rival right before the playoffs creates an impossible dynamic for a departing coach to maintain locker room focus. However, many analysts blamed the NCAA’s flawed portal calendar.

If Kiffin had waited until after the Rebels finished the CFP to take the LSU job, he would have completely missed out on recruiting elite players to the Tigers. Even Kiffin echoed the same sentiment, citing that if he coached Ole Miss, they could win.

“Obviously, I wish the timing was different. There was no way around it. Tried to do everything possible to still coach and, obviously, that was [athletic director Keith Carter’s] decision and understandable,” said Kiffin. “Do I still wish that had happened? Yeah, I do. I wish that would have been allowed to happen. Maybe we would have won it all.”

Despite Kiffin’s departure, Ole Miss won 2 games in the 2025 CFP under Golding. Ole Miss dominated Tulane 41-10, and the Rebels edged out SEC rival Georgia 39-34 on New Year’s Day. But their championship bid fell just short in a tight 31-27 loss to Miami. With that, Ole Miss proved they still have talent even after the coaching change; this season, Ole Miss and LSU will meet again.

Lane Kiffin will face his former team in 2026

Lane Kiffin’s abrupt departure in November 2025 left severe animosity in Oxford. Fans booed the coach at the airport as he departed, ensuring an incredibly tense environment for his return. This season, LSU and Ole Miss are scheduled to play on September 19 in what is expected to be one of the most anticipated matchups of the CFB season.

After the coaching change, the SEC rivalry has only intensified, and in a dramatic offseason twist, Lane Kiffin loaded up his LSU by raiding Ole Miss in the portal. He brought in former Rebel stars TJ Dottery, Princewill Umanmielen, and Winston Watkins with him to Baton Rouge. However, Ole Miss isn’t short on talent. QB Trinidad Chambliss, who led the Rebels in the 2025 CFP after Kiffin left, returns for the 2026 season with major Heisman Trophy hype.

What also added spice to the game were Lane Kiffin’s comments about his time recruiting at Oxford. The former Ole Miss head coach talked about uncomfortable questions he faced from the parents of prospects about Ole Miss’s past. He didn’t encounter that at Baton Rouge. The comments didn’t sit well with the Ole Miss community, who called out Kiffin for finding excuses to justify his decision. Although Kiffin later clarified his comments and apologized, it has done little to ease the tensions.