Lane Kiffin showed up on College Gameday in Baton Rouge on Saturday, and Pat McAfee wasted no time leaning into the obvious. With LSU hosting Clemson and the Tigers drawing the national spotlight in Week 1, Kiffin’s presence on campus came with the kind of attention that follows him everywhere now.
McAfee opened by thanking Kiffin for giving his show plenty to talk about.
“I'm a daily sports show host, so thank you.”
The conversation quickly turned to the heat Kiffin has taken for the way he has handled his career, and the LSU head coach didn’t shy away from it. He and McAfee ended up talking like two people who know exactly what it feels like to live under a loud national spotlight.
“That's why I've really appreciated our friendship and this week, your guidance with me about, because between you and I, we're about the two most hated people there are,” Kiffin told McAfee. “You told me, 'Hey, just focus on it, don't worry about the noise'. A lot of times, to do great things, you're going to be hated,”
McAfee had set him up with a pointed question about the reaction to Kiffin’s latest move and the scrutiny that’s followed him.
“What has it been like, man?... You got sued by the [SEC], what, just two days ago...”
Kiffin’s appearance also came as LSU continues to deal with the eligibility of Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, with the decision not to roster them yet for the Tigers still in the picture.
For Kiffin, the reaction is nothing new. His reputation in college football has been built as much on the exits as the wins, starting with his departure from Tennessee after one season to take the USC job in 2009. Before that, he had already been fired by the Oakland Raiders after a strained relationship with Al Davis.
USC later fired him midseason in 2013 after an underwhelming year, and while he rebuilt some of his standing at Alabama from 2014-16, the pattern never fully disappeared. He went on to FAU, then took over at Ole Miss in 2020, only to leave Oxford for LSU in another move that reopened old wounds for plenty of fans.
That’s the backdrop for why Kiffin keeps getting framed as one of the most disliked figures in the sport. His willingness to keep moving, and the bridges he’s burned along the way, have made him the least-liked head coach in the country this year.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Fans ESPN Moment Became A Much Bigger Story Than Expected
The season opener against Louisville gave Ole Miss plenty of drama on the field, but one fans reaction wound up getting nearly as much attention as the game itself. During ESPNs coverage, Sara M. Smith was shown looking understandably stressed after a Louisville touchdown, and the brief moment quickly took on a life of its own once it hit social media.
Smiths anxious expression spread fast enough to turn her into an unintended viral figure, prompting a flood of attention and forcing her to temporarily lock down her Instagram profile. It was a strange little subplot to a wild night in Oxford, where the Rebels eventually finished the job with a 41-38 win on a walk-off field goal. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Win Comes With One Deuce Alexander Debate
Deuce Alexander turned in the kind of breakout day Ole Miss fans will remember from a wild 41-38 win over Louisville, hauling in two 62-yard touchdown receptions to help fuel the Rebels offense. He finished with five catches for 159 yards and two scores, giving the passing game a huge lift in a game that stayed tight deep into the afternoon.
Alexanders second touchdown also left behind a small bit of sideline debate, thanks to a celebration that came immediately after he crossed the stripe. On the play, he flipped the ball behind him and may have let it go before fully reaching the goal line, but the officials did not stop to review it, allowing the score to stand and Ole Miss to keep control of a game it could not afford to lose. [Read more 🡒]
Trinidad Chambliss Answered Ole Miss Biggest Week 1 Question
The most important thing Ole Miss needed to learn in Week 1 was whether Trinidad Chambliss could steady a game that might have gotten away early, and he answered it in a big way against Louisville. After a shaky start that included turnovers, Chambliss settled in and kept the Rebels on course in a back-and-forth matchup, piling up 386 passing yards and accounting for four touchdowns while helping Ole Miss survive a 41-38 finish.
What stood out most was how the game tightened around him late, when every possession mattered and the Rebels needed someone to handle the pressure instead of adding to it. In a weekend when a lot of SEC teams cruised through lopsided openers, Ole Miss got a real test, and Chambliss final drive gave the Rebels a much clearer idea of what they have under center as the season moves into a tougher stretch. [Read more 🡒]