Everything seems to be going right for the Ole Miss Rebels. That is, at least from an on-field standpoint. They sit at 10-1, and are in firm control of their own destiny in regards to the College Football Playoff. They have a bye week this weekend, and their final regular-season game comes against a shaky Mississippi State team. Knowing an 11-1 SEC team is nearly guaranteed a playoff spot, things arguably couldn’t be better for the Rebels. Off the field, however, there’s a massive distraction that seemingly won’t go away for Ole Miss.
So will Ole Miss be able to keep the outside noise from impacting their performance this week and potentially derailing arguably the best season in school history? The bye week this past weekend likely helps matters, but nothing is guaranteed in college football, as we’re all far too familiar with.
How Does Ole Miss Handle the Distractions?
The Egg Bowl Is Always a Toss-up
Based on talent levels and resume, you could argue that this year’s Egg Bowl shouldn’t be all that competitive. Ole Miss comes in as a top-10 team and have two guys on offense in Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy whose names have at least been brought up in Heisman conversations. On the other sideline, Mississippi State comes in at 5-6 and has lost six of its last seven contests.
This could be a good and a bad thing for the Rebels. On one hand, their a team that has struggled lately, having only one win in conference play. However, the other side is that the Bulldogs will be fighting for bowl eligibility in this year’s Egg Bowl. While bowls have lost some importance in the age of the playoffs, for a program that has strung together a few losing seasons, becoming bowl-eligible would be a big step for Jeff Lebby and company in Starkville.
Oh, and it would come against their archrival, potentially keeping them out of the playoffs? For a rivalry that’s nearly always close regardless of where the two programs are, the Rebels should come into this one knowing that they’re about to get Mississippi State’s best shot.
And yes, there’s also the massive distraction currently hanging over the Ole Miss program.
The Lane Kiffin Drama Continues to Mount
This is one particular distraction that Ole Miss fans are used to by now. That is, whether head coach Lane Kiffin is planning on taking another job in the offseason. However, this year’s Kiffin roller coaster seems a bit different. There seems to be more interest on his end, in terms of potentially leaving. With both the Florida and LSU jobs open, there are certainly big-name programs that are interested in his services. And that doesn’t even address the potential that he could look at taking another shot at the NFL level.
The latest news is that there’s going to be an announcement on Saturday, following Friday’s Egg Bowl. As to what that announcement entails, no one knows. A lot of people are of the opinion that Kiffin himself probably doesn’t know yet. Does he stay in Oxford? Is he headed to Baton Rouge to become a Tiger? Will the family ties convince him to give Florida a chance? We simply don’t know.
What Do We Know About the Kiffin Decision?
While we may not know where he ends up, there are a few things we do know.
The first is that this has been handled extremely poorly on his end. Despite being an extremely popular figure at Ole Miss, there are a lot of Rebel fans who are becoming indifferent as to whether he stays or goes, due to the circus that the entire situation has become. Obviously, it’s understood that the leverage he holds and the business side of the negotiations. However, it’s starting to get to a point where Kiffin is sounding more like a talking puppet for his agent, Jimmy Sexton. The inability to give any type of straight answers. The constant, somewhat cryptic posts on social media.
Another thing we know is that the decision won’t be money-related. Florida, LSU, and Ole Miss are putting together similar offers, from a financial standpoint. That includes a contract for Kiffin himself and the NIL funds the schools are willing to promise. So the decision is largely going to come down to what he wants for himself.
Despite some of the frustration with the circus itself, if he signs an extension with Ole Miss, Rebel fans will welcome him back, and it will all be water under the bridge. And he will also be able to continue to cement his legacy in Oxford, as the person who almost single-handedly built the brand into what it is today. If he signs with LSU or Florida, he has a massive ceiling in terms of potential to win titles. But he isn’t able to claim that it’s a brand he built.
It all comes down to what he values most at this point in his life.
The Impact the Situation Has on the Team
As mentioned earlier, the Egg Bowl is always a close game. It’s not the kind of game you want to be facing distractions as you prepare for. The Kiffin sideshow is the very kind of distraction that could become a problem for the Rebels.
Regardless of whether he stays or goes, if Ole Miss wins Friday and advances to the College Football Playoff, a lot of fans will be okay. However, if they stumble to Mississippi State, ultimately miss the playoff, and watch Kiffin ride off into the sunset to a new school, the hostility will be off the charts. It’s also the kind of thing that would destroy his image amongst a ton of people. Especially when it’s an image and reputation that he’s now already spent years trying to rebuild.
One thing is for sure. Kiffin’s career is going to be fine, whatever decision he decides to make. However, for his team, the distractions are mounting, largely because of him. We’re all going to see whether the players are able to put all of that to the side and focus on the task at hand. Or whether the distractions end up derailing what has been the most successful season in school history.
Main Image: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
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