Lane Kiffin swiftly dodged the bullet named the ultimatum from Ole Miss, but it doesn't spare him from making the decision. It just gives him a bit more leeway.
Kiffin clarified that there was no bad blood between Kiffin and Ole Miss yet and that he loved it there.
What Ole Miss fans didn't hear was 'I'm not going anywhere, not at least until after the Playoff'. The Rebs fandom might be used to hearing Kiffin's take on everything and anything, which is particularly why the silence is deafening in Oxford.
And sooner or later, their patience will start to wear off. And given how quickly things are escalating, it seems near.
Kiffin could avoid a lot of unnecessary drama if he kept a clear statement that put every rumor to bed prepared by then.
Just an Egg Bowl win away from officially making it to the College Football Playoff, Kiffin has been preaching to Ole Miss fans to enjoy these "Good Ole days."
A rumor-less, more game-centered Playoff will actually help them do that.
It almost seems that Kiffin is thoroughly enjoying being the most discussed head coach in the rumors; they are his thing after all. But it isn't something Ole Miss is used to. Even AD Keith Carter wants it under the bridge as soon as possible.
“I’m going to be proactive with working out a deal with Lane and [agent Jimmy Sexton],” Carter said in October, per Yahoo Sports.
“I’d love to get something done like Indiana did with Curt Cignetti before the silly season starts. We’ll see. I believe Lane’s happy here, but you never know what can happen with coaches.”
Which brings us to the main point of Ole Miss not issuing an ultimatum: they might not have gone to that extent, but it is clear that they, too, will be expecting an answer from Kiffin sooner than later.