The Lane Kiffin Bowl is here. Ole Miss and Florida football fans should buckle up
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OXFORD — An Ole Miss football rout has set the stage for a matchup between Lane Kiffin and the Florida Gators. Buckle up.
No. 7 Ole Miss beat The Citadel 49-0 in a blowout on Nov. 8 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. It was a tame, noon-kickoff game that was over after one quarter
In seven days, Ole Miss (9-1, 5-1 SEC) will host Florida (3-5, 2-5) in a primetime night game. The contrast will be glaring. Might as well call it the Lane Kiffin Bowl, and it begins 6 p.m. Nov. 15 on ESPN.
Kiffin has been connected to the Florida opening since coach Billy Napier was fired on Oct. 19. Kiffin also has been connected to the LSU job since Brian Kelly was fired Oct. 26.
The only thing Kiffin said in his postgame press conference about Florida is that the way his team played vs The Citadel is a helpful tune-up.
“There’s a lot (of value in a complete performance),” Kiffin said. “That was the challenge. These games don’t always go like this. Especially later in the year … These things happen where these guys hang around and nobody feels good about it afterwards.”
The Gators have ammunition for a pitch and people to make it. Kiffin grew up admiring former Florida coach Steve Spurrier. Kiffin’s signature visor, which he once again tossed into the crowd on his walk back to the tunnel after crushing The Citadel, is a nod to Spurrier.
Kiffin got his chance at Ole Miss in 2020 by resurrecting the Florida Atlantic football program. The Gators have an army of fans on social media, a space Kiffin frequents, who barrage him with pleas to return to the Sunshine State.
Next week, the visitor’s section at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is likely to be just as a big of a contrast to The Citadel game as the talent gap between the Bulldogs’ roster and the Florida one littered with highly ranked recruits.
The most beneficial thing a Florida fan desperate for a turnaround can do is travel to the game and cheer at Kiffin with Gator chomps from Section 1 right alongside Ole Miss fans cheering for him to sign a contract extension.
Kiffin has remained neutral when asked about job openings. It’s in line with how he’s handled previous job chatter in other offseasons. He said being a top candidate is a compliment to his players and fellow coaches, but not something he’d be commenting on.
To be clear, the game isn’t necessarily winner-gets-Kiffin. There’s plenty of other factors distinguishing Florida from Ole Miss that Kiffin needs to evaluate. His ex-wife and two of his three children live in Oxford. The Grove Collective is a well-oiled machine.
It would seem, though, that Florida can tilt the discussion. The Rebels are positioned to host a College Football Playoff game at worst if they beat Florida and then Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl.
But a loss to Florida could put the Rebels on the outside of the next 12-team CFP bracket.
Florida did a similar thing in 2024 by upsetting Ole Miss in Gainesville 24-17 on Nov 23. It ultimately sent a Rebels’ roster loaded with NFL talent to the ironically-named TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. Funny, how that worked out.
“I’m excited to play Florida,” Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss said. “Very historic program. They’ve got athletes over there. I know their coach got fired but I mean, they put up a good fight against Georgia. They’ve got fight in their team.”
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss vs Florida in Lane Kiffin Bowl? Buckle up Rebels, Gators fans
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