The Lane Kiffin coaching saga has turned into a three-way tug of war between LSU, Ole Miss, and Florida. It has reached its final arc as Kiffin is supposed to reveal his decision soon. It remains a mystery for now. But amidst all this, Paul Finebaum has delivered his final verdict on the conundrum, making one of the three fanbases happy.

On3 conducted a poll asking 80 of the most important personalities in CFB for their opinion on Kiffin’s next stop. The poll sided heavily on LSU’s side, including Paul Finebaum. Interestingly, it’s not the first time he chose LSU for Lane Kiffin. In a Nov 25 appearance on ESPN’s Get Up show, the analyst made his opinion known.

“I don’t believe Lane Kiffin believes he can win a National Championship at Ole Miss,” Paul Finebaum said. “I don’t know why he doesn’t think that, considering where they are in the polls right now. But clearly, as he looks around, Florida seems like a slightly better fit, but LSU is the hot school. LSU has won National Championships under Saban, Les Miles, and even Ed Orgeron. They didn’t win one in four years under Brian Kelly, and that’s why they paid to get rid of him. So it seems like LSU right now is the hot team,” Finebaum added.

LSU is preparing one of the premium contracts in college football history to lure Kiffin away from Oxford. The offer is reportedly structured as a seven-year deal worth up to $98 million, with incentives built in that would average approximately $14 million annually. This would make Kiffin the highest-paid coach in college football, surpassing Georgia’s Kirby Smart, who currently earns $13.3 million per year.​ This justifies Paul Finebaum’s stance on Kiffin’s destination.

Lane Kiffin would be a revelation in his role as LSU’s head coach. His offensive acumen and recruiting prowess have fundamentally transformed Ole Miss into National title contenders from perennial underachievers. Notably, in six years at the helm, he has compiled a 54-19 record with four 10-win seasons. At LSU, however, he will inherit a blue-blood program with endless resources and a championship pedigree. Consequently, the combination of both would restore LSU to its former glory.

Lane Kiffin to LSU becomes even more apt as he and his family visited Baton Rouge over the weekend. However, according to Mississippi AD Keith Carter, Lane Kiffin will announce his decision on Saturday, after Ole Miss plays in the Egg Bowl and their playoff fate is decided. However, his move to LSU would create another major opening in the SEC. And now, with 28 Nov set as the deadline day for a decision on Kiffin’s fate, a host of new names have come into the mix for the eventual position in Oxford. South Carolina HC Shane Beamer gave his take on the situation.

Shane Beamer reacts to the Lane Kiffin situation

While interacting with the press after their dominating 51-7 win over Coastal Carolina, Shane Beamer shared his take on the matter. “You mean when Lane (Kiffin)’s gonna put three hats on the table and pick one? I don’t know. You guys probably know more than I do. I know, with a wife who’s a Mississippi State grad, she’s more focused on the Egg Bowl and who wins that game, as I will be. But, you know, fascinating situation. He’s obviously done a great job at Ole Miss, and that game has a lot of meaning this year,” he said.

The Egg Bowl itself takes on heightened significance not just for Ole Miss’s playoff hopes, but as the final game before Kiffin changes the coaching landscape. By the looks of Auburn is going to be the biggest loser if Kiffin decides to depart from Oxford. This will position Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall as a prime target for the Rebels. Sumrall’s 41-11 overall record at the G5 level has made him Auburn’s top candidate to replace Hugh Freeze.

But Ole Miss now poses a significant threat to Auburn’s coaching search. The connection between Sumrall and Ole Miss goes back as he previously served as the Rebels’ linebacker coach, giving the program an advantage in luring him away from Tulane.