LSU head coach Lane Kiffin is once again stirring the pot - and this time, his sights are set on the college football calendar. If you've followed Kiffin for any stretch of time, you know he’s not one to hold back when something doesn’t sit right with him.
His latest gripe? The timing of the 2026-27 national championship game.
On Tuesday, Kiffin took to social media to sound off about the CFP schedule, specifically calling out the unusually late date for the title game - January 25, 2027. That’s nearly a full week later than the 2025-26 championship, and it’s raised some eyebrows, including Kiffin’s.
“Somehow the calendar got even worse on purpose…. Kids play until Jan 25th and have almost a month between the games?!?!” he posted on X, reacting to a post that highlighted the extended gap between the College Football Playoff quarterfinals and the national championship.
Now, to be fair, the schedule does include a semifinal round between the quarters and the final, so it’s not quite a full month off as Kiffin suggests. But his broader point stands: this is a long layoff - longer than what we’re used to seeing in the postseason.
And that’s where the concern starts to get real for coaches. The timing of the national title game means players could be competing well into their spring semester. That’s not just a minor inconvenience - it has real implications for everything from academics to roster management.
For programs chasing a national title, this extended postseason could create friction with the transfer portal, which is already a logistical headache. Players and coaches will be navigating potential roster changes while still preparing for the biggest game of the season. That’s a tough balancing act, especially when other schools have already turned the page to spring ball and early enrollees are getting settled.
Kiffin’s frustration also taps into a larger conversation around the structure of the college football calendar. December has become a whirlwind - postseason prep, coaching changes, recruiting battles, and portal chaos all collide in a matter of weeks. Add in a championship game that pushes deeper into January, and you’ve got a system that’s starting to feel stretched at the seams.
This isn’t just about one date on the calendar. It’s about how the sport manages an increasingly complex ecosystem - one where the demands on student-athletes, coaches, and programs continue to grow.
Kiffin’s not alone in raising the alarm. More and more voices in the sport are starting to echo the same sentiment: something’s got to give.
Whether the powers that be in college football take that message to heart remains to be seen. But if nothing else, Kiffin’s comments have once again sparked a conversation that isn’t going away anytime soon.