Ole Miss football is being quite generous and giving Lane Kiffin all the time he needs to think about his future options which does not include them.
Not issuing an ultimatum either, as the rumor had it, suggests Ole Miss's stance on the fever-pitch rumors: they're not pushing it, yet.
They do expect some clarity by Egg Bowl, but the real question is, will it be too late by then? Especially speaking in terms of College Football Playoff?
After waiting for 12 long seasons, there is a chance that the committee might not like a Kiffin-less Ole Miss playing in the Playoff.
Yahoo Sports' Dan Wolken thinks it will absolutely set back the Rebels in the Playoffs, even get them snubbed altogether, given the precedents the committee has set.
"And yet, it would be an abdication of responsibility for Ole Miss officials not to consider whether a messy Kiffin departure in the next couple weeks would give the committee a reason to leave them out of the playoff altogether," Wolken writes.
"While it seems absurd at first, it’s not that far-fetched considering what happened in 2023 when 13-0 ACC champion Florida State was left out of the four-team CFP in favor of 12-1 Alabama because quarterback Jordan Travis suffered a devastating injury late in the season."
"Would the blowback be severe for snubbing an 11-1 Ole Miss? Absolutely. Would Greg Sankey declare a fatwa on the rest of college football? There’s no doubt. And maybe that threat alone would be enough to protect Ole Miss."
Ole Miss needs to consider whether missing the Playoff due to a game of chicken with a "a mercurial coach having a fit of wanderlust" is worth it after all.
"The Rebels’ players wouldn’t deserve such a cruel fate. But Florida State’s didn’t either two years ago, and look at what happened. It seems unlikely, but it’s not impossible given the system, the precedent and the committee’s written protocols."
Kiffin is not giving out anything on his own and it is clear by now. It is only a matter of time when Ole Miss understands this and gives him the ultimatum the Rebels fans thought was already given.
And if it would be too late by then.