Ole Miss head football coach Pete Golding has made it pretty clear that the Rebels aren't just in the game; they're running the College Football Playoff show.
Somewhere after all the Lane Kiffin and the coaching staff drama, the statement was necessary.
After doubling down on it twice already, once against Tulane and again against Georgia, Golding just needed to reinstate it once again before the Miami showdown.
Golding's warning shot to Miami
Since all the drama and a sudden head coaching change have made Ole Miss the clear underdogs to Miami, Golding boldly asserted that all the staff circus isn't affecting their preparations a bit.
"So, we’ve hired, we’ve got a lot of coaches here. That’s the one thing about Division I football. This building is filled with guys that have been elite coaches everywhere they’ve been. And so now, once they’ve eliminated the rule to where there’s not ten coaches, as long as they’re employed here, you can have a million coaches that can instruct on the field, Golding said in his press conference previewing Miami.
"So, we’ve got plenty. That will not be any reason for our success or lack of success within this game. The play callers haven’t changed. There’s people in every room. Our players know what to do. It’s going to have no impact on the game," the Rebels' head coach stated, delivering a definitive warning shot to Mario Cristobal.
Some of the assistant coaches, like Joe Cox and George McDonald, who had signed their next contract with LSU, have already left for Baton Rouge.
However, the offensive linchpin Charlie Weis Jr. is committed to coaching the Rebs through their CFP run, despite working for Kiffin and his increasing pressure to come back.
Besides, let's not forget that Golding already has his staff in place. If a whole head coaching change didn't affect Ole Miss's drills, they sure will manage just fine without a few assistant coaches.
Undermining what the Rebs could bring to the table is not a mistake Cristobal will, or rather, should make at this point in the CFP.