The Ole Miss Rebels ranked No. 6 in the initial CFP rankings released on Tuesday, and the rumors still have their head coach, Lane Kiffin, leaving the program for another.
The rumors don't have much structure left anyway, besides a couple of loose ends from Kiffin.
First is his staying tight-lipped when it comes to denying those rumors that are gnawing at the Ole Miss fans, especially since Kiffin has never missed an opportunity to create a controversy or share his bold take on it.
Him not signing his automatic contract extension with Ole Miss that kicked in when he won his seventh game this season is giving another reason for the recruiters to stay hot on his trail.
How Lane Kiffin signing contract extension with Ole Miss will help
Fox Sports' Joel Klatt believes it is about time Kiffin puts an end to all this with a contract extension. If anything, it will steer Ole Miss clear of any distractions the rumors might cause down the CFP road.
“Now, one thing to watch out for for Ole Miss down the stretch is you’re seeing a lot of other coaches that are high-profile that will absolutely be targeted and mentioned for all these job openings, and they’re taking their name out of the hat,” Klatt said on his show.
According to Klatt, signing the contract extension would be the best way out after other coaches have tried and tested the formula.
“Three specifically, Dan Lanning said absolutely not, I’m at Oregon. Matt Rhule signed an extension at Nebraska and Curt Cignetti signed an extension at Indiana. So the longer that Lane Kiffin doesn’t sign an extension at Ole Miss or come out and absolutely, emphatically and definitively like Dan Lanning did turn these jobs down and say, ‘I’m not going anywhere,’ the distraction is going to creep up at Ole Miss.”
Now that Ole Miss is just three games away from having a shot at the College Football Playoff, the chances of Kiffin leaving for another program are close to slim, no matter what the rumors might suggest.
But a contract extension will definitely help soothe the lingering tension in the air in Oxford.