The Lane Kiffin drama created a whirlwind around Oxford. After signing a seven-year $91 million contract with LSU, he carried a lot of staff with him from Ole Miss. Among them was the Rebels’ offensive coordinator, Charlie Weis Jr. Pete Golding, the newly appointed head coach, remained unfazed by the news, certain that Weis Jr. would remain with the team for the playoffs.

“There was never any indecision whether he was going to coach in the game or not, and that’s for the players,” Pete Golding said boldly, indicating Weis Jr. always planned to coach Ole Miss during the playoffs. “That has nothing to do with me. That has nothing to do with (Kiffin), right?

That was for the players to finish what he started. We were never nervous at all. Obviously, that being a public statement was the concern before the committee was going to meet on that Tuesday, but (Weis) gave us our word to (AD Keith Carter) and me on Sunday.”

Even though Charlie Weis Jr. chose LSU, he will continue to coach Ole Miss for the rest of its playoff run. The decision comes as a surprise, especially since Lane Kiffin would have been barred from coaching Ole Miss in the postseason had he accepted the LSU job. Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter clarified why the university made an exception for Weis Jr. but not for Kiffin.

“Charlie Weis is a great man. Really, from day one, he said, ‘Hey, I want to finish what we started.’ To me, it’s a lot different with the head coach than with the staff. The head coach is the one who chose to go take another position and put some people in some really tough spots,” Carter said.

More often, programs crumble under pressure, but Ole Miss can draw motivation from the Utah Utes’ 2004 success. After going 12-0 under Urban Meyer, they earned a BCS bowl berth. But Meyer switched his allegiances to Florida before the bowl game.

Thus, defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham took over, won the Bowl game, and the clean transition didn’t create a dent in the program. Therefore, the light at the end of the tunnel shines bright for Ole Miss.

With the playoff brackets set, the Rebels are preparing to make a deep postseason run even without Lane Kiffin.

Ole Miss and the postseason puzzle: What comes next

Having emerged as one of the best offensive teams in the country, Ole Miss will look to finish the postseason strong despite the negative attention surrounding the Lane Kiffin situation. The Rebels still retain their roster and key members of the coaching staff, including Charlie Weis Jr. and Pete Golding.

The No. 6 seed Rebels will face No. 11 seed Tulane in the opening round of the College Football Playoff at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday, December 20. Tulane enters with an 11-2 record and its first-ever playoff appearance after topping the AAC. The programs share a long history, with Ole Miss holding a 14-game winning streak in the series; their last loss to Tulane came in 1988.

The teams already met once this season, when Ole Miss defeated Tulane 45-10 in Oxford. With that result and the recent conference championship still fresh, Tulane will arrive motivated for revenge on the same field where it suffered that blowout loss.

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One advantage for the Green Wave is the absence of Lane Kiffin, which could add a layer of uncertainty and pressure for Ole Miss.

The winner will advance to face Georgia in the quarterfinals.