Skip Bayless didn’t wait for the result to make his point about Lane Kiffin.
As No. 7 LSU and No.
8 Ole Miss were just getting started Saturday night in Oxford, the former ESPN First Take co-host posted on X that Kiffin stands alone in college football history. “Among coaches, Lane Kiffin is the best thing that has ever happened to college football.
Great coach. Ultimate villain.
Ratings lightning rod,” Bayless wrote.
That one line captured the whole Kiffin storyline Bayless was pushing: the success, the chaos, and the attention that follows him everywhere. And on a night when Ole Miss beat Kiffin’s new team 32-24, Bayless kept hammering the point.
He later wrote that Chambliss “plays BIG” and that Leavitt “was seeing ghosts all night.” In another post, Bayless added, “Sweetest revenge in college football history.”
The “Ultimate villain” label traces back to Kiffin’s departure from Oxford. He took the LSU job on Nov. 30, 2025, only two days after Ole Miss beat Mississippi State 39-19 in the Egg Bowl.
Kiffin said Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter denied his request to coach the team through the College Football Playoff, so he left before the Rebels’ postseason run. Ole Miss fans jeered him as he boarded a plane for Baton Rouge.
The “Ratings lightning rod” part was built into the matchup itself. It was the first top-10 game between LSU and Ole Miss since 1962, ESPN’s College GameDay came to Oxford, and ABC put the game in its prime-time 7:30 p.m. ET slot.
On the field, Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, the Division II transfer Kiffin brought to Oxford, was the difference. He threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns, then ran 14 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 6:14 left. A successful 2-point try pushed the Rebels ahead by eight.
LSU had fought back from a 24-7 halftime deficit to tie the game 24-24 in the fourth quarter. But after Chambliss’ score, the Tigers got one last chance.
Sam Leavitt drove LSU to the Ole Miss 6-yard line, then missed open tight end Zach Grace near the goal line on third down. On fourth down, Jaylon Braxton picked off a tipped pass in the end zone.
Bayless’ “Great coach” line points to what Kiffin built in Oxford before leaving. Over six seasons, he went 55-19 and delivered four 10-win seasons. Before Kiffin arrived in 2020, Ole Miss had only two 10-win seasons since 1972.
His 2025 Ole Miss team finished 11-1 in the regular season, the program’s first 11-win regular season. The only loss came against Georgia.
After the game, Kiffin didn’t say much. “I'm glad it's over. This was an emotional game for a lot of reasons,” the first-year LSU coach said.
The win pushed Ole Miss to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in SEC play.
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LSU Loss Puts Sam Leavitt Under A Spotlight He Cant Escape
After LSUs loss to Ole Miss, the focus quickly shifted to Sam Leavitt, and not in a way any quarterback welcomes. Lane Kiffin stepped in to defend him, pointing first to the pressure Ole Miss brought and the way Leavitt had to operate with the rush closing in. Kiffin also made clear that Leavitts legs were a real part of the answer, even if the passing game never found the level LSU needed.
Leavitts performance now sits at the center of a larger conversation about what LSU can and cannot ask of its offense in tough matchups. Kiffins defense of the quarterback offered some context, but it also underscored the bigger issue: the Tigers still need cleaner execution through the air if they want to turn pressure-packed games into wins. [Read more 🡒]