The Florida fans found themselves as a part of the same guessing game that Ole Miss fans have been at for the past few weeks, after Kiffin's family toured Baton Rouge via private jet.
No confirmation about his loyalty to Ole Miss keeps giving the rumors of Kiffin strategically orchestrating a move right before the Egg Bowl or the Playoff more substance.
Lane Kiffin will still lean toward Florida: Finebaum
ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum believes that even though LSU is trying their best pitch, Florida would still be Kiffin's first choice.
“I think it’s Florida. He’s always been a Florida fan,” Finebaum said on ESPN.
“He grew up idolizing Steve Spurrier. I think it comes down to Florida or LSU. It seems like he has already left Ole Miss. You just don’t leave them hanging like he has,” Finebaum said, in what was surprisingly reassuring for the Florida fans, but harrowing for Ole Miss fans given the upcoming College Football Playoff.
“If you’re going to stay here, all you have to do is say, ‘I’ve just agreed to a new contract,’” the SEC mouthpiece added, saying the exact same thing Ole Miss fans have been screaming for the past two weeks.
“So I think he’s trying to decide between LSU and Florida, and Florida seems like a slightly better choice."
The million dollar question
All the doubts that rumors have planted have slowly turned into an assumption of Kiffin leaving the Rebels, sooner or later.
The real question is will he leave them right before their Playoff appearance?
"The problem is the [College Football Playoff]. Could he possibly walk out? Remember in, what was it, 2016, Lane Kiffin got the job at Florida Atlantic," Finebaum added.
“He kind of dogged it in a playoff game, and Nick Saban fired him a week before the championship game, costing Saban a championship that year. I don’t think Lane Kiffin wants to go through that again.”
Not only will it be disastrous for the program, but if Kiffin does so, all the reputation he earned through six years in Oxford will altogether shatter.