Lane Kiffin’s First Post After Ole Miss-Miami CFP Semifinal

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Miami and Ole Miss played an instant classic in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday night.

With a spot in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on the line, both teams laid it all on the line, but in the end, it was Miami who emerged victorious with a 31-27 win.

Miami quarterback Carson Beck scored the game-winning touchdown with 18 seconds left in the fourth quarter to send the program to the National Championship Game, where it will await the winner of the Indiana-Oregon game.

After the final whistle, former Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, now the head coach at LSU, posted on X about how great the program’s season had been.

“Amazing effort and grit. @OleMissFB best season in the history of Ole Miss!! love guys,” Kiffin posted.

Kiffin was pursued by LSU at the end of the 2025 regular season and took the job after Ole Miss beat Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl. The win got Ole Miss to 11-1 at the time and clinched the program’s spot in the College Football Playoff.

Ole Miss went on to beat Tulane and Georgia in the CFP before losing to Miami in the semifinals on Thursday night.

Kiffin was the Rebels’ head coach for the last six seasons, compiling a 55-19 overall record. He’ll now try to take the Tigers to the CFP next season after they only went 7-6 this season. He’s replacing Brian Kelly, who was fired after the Tigers were 5-3 after eight games.

Related: Lane Kiffin, LSU Lose Key Starter to SEC Rival

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jan 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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