The SEC title race is still a four-team cage match. Alabama Crimson Tide’s grip slipped after Oklahoma Sooners pulled a 23–21 heist. The Georgia Bulldogs leveled up with a blowout over the Texas Longhorns. The Texas A&M Aggies are still spotless in conference, and the Ole Miss Rebels are in the mix. In short? Lane Kiffin’s boys are about to run the SEC obstacle course on hard mode.

On November 23, SEC Mike sat in a conversation with Cousin Shane tracking Kiffin and the Rebels’ trip to the title game. SEC Mike focused on how for Ole Miss to have a path to Atlanta, Alabama must lose to Auburn.

This loss would shake up the SEC West standings and open the door for another team to emerge. “They need Alabama to lose to Auburn. So I hopefully made that as simple as possible, but any questions about this, buddy?”

Cousin Shane then tried to process Kiffin and the Rebels’ scenario step by step, asking questions to make sense of the tiebreakers.

“Let’s say that Ole Miss scenario happens, it’s most likely going to be Ole Miss and Georgia,” said Cousin Shane. He considered the idea that if Kiffin’s program receives the necessary help, then Ole Miss has a legitimate path to the Atlanta area. 

Shane is mapping out an Ole Miss vs. Georgia showdown, banking on Ole Miss finishing strong, Georgia owning the East, and Alabama losing to give the Rebels the West crown. That makes up for three criteria that must go in Kiffin’s favor. No, that’s not the end. 

Shane shifts the gear, bringing Texas A&M into the Ole Miss conversation, “Then A&M. If they win, they’re in.”

If both Texas A&M and Alabama lose and Ole Miss wins, the SEC Championship would pit Georgia vs. Ole Miss, since in a three-way tie, Georgia and Ole Miss have stronger schedules than A&M.

However, the analyst knows Texas A&M holds the head-to-head advantage over Kiffin’s program. That means even with all the help Ole Miss could get, including an Alabama loss, they can’t win the West if A&M keeps winning. 

In short, Ole Miss’s dream path dies the moment A&M takes care of business. While Kiffin and Co. still have a challenging path to overcome, another SEC program keeps the Rebels on edge, pointing a $90 million sword at them. 

LSU Tigers stirring up a $90 million temptation for Lane Kiffin

Looks like the LSU Tigers haven’t finished signing big checks, even after Brian Kelly’s $100 million deal. They are on a mission to sway one of the hottest names in the SEC. Kiffin is raking in $9 million at Ole Miss, sixth-highest in the SEC. LSU’s legal limits cap their base at $3 million, with the remainder allocated to bonuses and perks. 

The Kiffin family has been flying under the radar at LSU. They reportedly took a private jet trip to Baton Rouge. Days later, daughter Landry stepped into the LSU Women’s Booster meeting. If that didn’t already send rumors into overdrive, here’s the kicker.

Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported LSU is closing in on a seven-year, $90 million deal for Kiffin, a contract that would tie him with Kirby Smart as the highest-paid coach in college football.

Meanwhile, Ole Miss is already in scramble mode, trying to figure out a Plan B if Kiffin bolts. That uncertainty spilled over in a lively chat on the College Football Enquirer podcast, featuring the trio of Andy Staples, Ross Dellenger, and Steven Godfrey.

Staples said, “This is not like we have talked about this for several weeks now, the Joe Judge thing, and the reason you do that is Joe Judge has the administrative CEO experience having been an NFL head coach.”

The big question now: if Ole Miss reaches the title game, can Kiffin resist the $90 million temptation?