Lane Kiffin gets redemption with win over Florida, but questions about his future remain

There are plenty of reasons for Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin to celebrate at the moment. 

Despite a strong effort from Florida, No. 7 Ole Miss earned a 34-24 victory in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday evening that all but sews up a College Football Playoff berth — what would be the first in Ole Miss history — in a standout season for Kiffin as a head coach. 

Going into the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State on Nov. 28, the Rebels are 10-1 and have an excellent shot to post 11 wins in the regular season for the first time in school history. 

What lies ahead for Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss?

Saturday's victory was also redemptive for Kiffin and Ole Miss after Florida snuffed out the Rebels' playoff chances in Gainesville a year ago.

Unfortunately for Ole Miss and Kiffin, there's a different conversation dominating the news cycle in Oxford: whether or not their current head coach will still be employed by the University of Mississippi in 2026. 

In a year full of high-profile CFB job openings, including four in the Southeastern Conference (LSU, Arkansas, Florida and Auburn), Kiffin's name has come up plenty of times as a potential option for those schools - sometimes jokingly, sometimes not. 

But the buzz surrounding Kiffin potentially going to Baton Rouge, Gainesville or elsewhere is understandably distracting in a year where he has a legitimate shot to win a national championship at his current school. 

Kiffin said as much in his postgame news conference on Saturday. 

"I love what we're doing here," Kiffin said. "Today was awesome. To even talk about it right now would be so disrespectful to our players and what they did today."