Must be hard being a UM fan.

[TheLostDawg]

Knowing Kiffin isn't it. Had all the money spent on staff, Advisors, players, easy schedule yet still couldn't pull it off.
They have Kiffin locked in. He certainly is their Mullen. They have their differences but when it comes to results, they are the same. Both put the schools in a bad spot, can't fire them because they are good coaches and you never know what you'll get in a replacement but they fall short. It'll be interesting to see how good they are after this year/lose dart. We'll see if they continue to spend what they have this year. I have a feeling they will and all that talk about taking out loans might have been true but not to the extent it was made out to be

[Dawgology]

The Mullen v. Kiffin parallels are so true. They are having the exact same experience we all had with early Mullen. With that said I’d love to have that Mullen experience back. Here’s to hoping Lebby works out

[Coach34]

Kiffin is it. He is the best they can do. They arent ever going to win a title in football- just like we wont.

[Todd4State]

If Kiffin loses a couple more games they may be stuck with him.

[DownwardDawg]

If Kiffin loses a couple more games they may be stuck with him.

They would love to be stuck with him.

[Johnson85]

They would love to be stuck with him.

Yup. The only way being "stuck" with Kiffin is a bad thing for them is if UM somehow stumbles to 8 wins and boosters decide they're not willing to spend the kind of NIL money they are spending for 8 wins versus as easy a schedule as they will have in the new SEC.

Most likely they will get to 9 wins and then it's going to be a coin flip on whether anybody wants to pony up for Kiffin. I'm just not sure any program makes that kind of commitment right now when there's so much uncertainty. Arguably it's way better to have a $5M a year coach that's not as big of a name but have another $5M a year to spend in NIL than it is to have Kiffin committed to what you would think at minimum will be a $60M commitment over 6 years. And that's assuming he leaves for basically no meaningful raise in order to be at a place that can compete for a championship.

[basedog]

Kiffin can get another job. Ask Dan Mullen. Now the money he is making and money they are willing to pay him the next several years is job security. If he took say the FSU job he would have a better chance with consistent winning seasons.

[StarkVegasSteve]

Kiffin COULD get another job this offseason. I still think the Florida job will come open so if he wants that job he can get it. Now, as far as other major P5 openings, I don't really see one coming open that would entice him. I mean Michigan may come open, I doubt he'd be interested in that and that's really the only other big time job that I see coming open. I still think USCw will hang on to Riley for another year and there's too much bad blood between them and Lane. Bama is still probably a year away from coming open. I still kind of believe his next job will be NFL. I mean there will probably be 5-6 NFL openings at years end so you'll have to see if any of those interest him.

[TrapGame]

Everyone in the Grove Collective was guaranteed "This is the year. Give us the money."

They thought they would be in the top four by year's end playing for a shot at a Natty. Shit, they got one, maybe two, more loses on this schedule.

If Florida comes open Kiffin is going for it. If not, I wouldn't be surprised if he's back in the NFL as a HC. Maybe the Jets.

[basedog]

I can see several P5 jobs coming available soon. NC, FSU, Ark and Auburn. I don't see him as a NFL coach again.

[StarkVegasSteve]

I can see several P5 jobs coming available soon. NC, FSU, Ark and Auburn. I don't see him as a NFL coach again.

Well he won't take NC or Arky. FSU could lose out and they won't fire Norvell, buyout is about 64 mil, and Freeze probably has another year as well.

[Jack Lambert]

Ole Miss isn't completely out of the playoff running yet. Just saying.

[TrapGame]

I can see several P5 jobs coming available soon. NC, FSU, Ark and Auburn. I don't see him as a NFL coach again.

Arky may be open after this weekend. (wink, wink)

[StarkVegasSteve]

Ole Miss isn't completely out of the playoff running yet. Just saying.

They're not but that Kentucky loss is aging like hot cheese and they still have a loss to UGA upcoming. Add in to that trips to Arky and a Florida team that just drummed that same Kentucky team by 3 TDs. OM could have 3 losses coming home and if they're 6-5 coming into the Egg Bowl.....watch out. Lebby may put the final nail in the coffin of The Last Dance as well as the Lane Kiffin era in Oxford.

[TheLostDawg]

I guess that he should have hit the road last year. Only gets tougher for them from here. He had everything you could have asked for this year, veteran qb, team. Veteran staff. Favorable schedule. Down sec.
With their luck who knows how it ends this year but I'm interested how it plays out.
After this year I'm not afraid of Kiffen. If he leaves I'll be glad because it gives them some instability and he is a good coach, just not great like he's been made out to be. Plus if the SEC does something with the fake injuries then that hurts him as well. I'll be curious what Golding does as well

[StarkVegasSteve]

I guess that he should have hit the road last year. Only gets tougher for them from here. He had everything you could have asked for this year, veteran qb, team. Veteran staff. Favorable schedule. Down sec.
With their luck who knows how it ends this year but I'm interested how it plays out.
After this year I'm not afraid of Kiffen. If he leaves I'll be glad because it gives them some instability and he is a good coach, just not great like he's been made out to be. Plus if the SEC does something with the fake injuries then that hurts him as well. I'll be curious what Golding does as well

Part of me will always believe Kiffin thought last year was it for him. I think he learned something with all the Auburn stuff to not let things play out in the media but I always thought he had it set up for last year to be it for him. He wanted out in 22 and his daughter got in his ear and convinced him to stay. I really think Jimmy Sexton had it set up where Norvell was going to take the Bama job, Kiffin would fill the FSU job and then they would get Golding to take the OM job. That would put his clients in all those jobs. And then FSU made a god offer to Norvell that he just could not turn down.

[RocketDawg]

Arky may be open after this weekend. (wink, wink)

He wouldn't be the first head coach that we've been instrumental in firing.

[Johnson85]

Well he won't take NC or Arky. FSU could lose out and they won't fire Norvell, buyout is about 64 mil, and Freeze probably has another year as well.

Yea, I just don't see any desirable jobs ponying up what it would take to get him to leave, unless it's Florida.

You'd think UNC would be a better football school than they are. But they aren't, so I don't think they're poaching Lane. Certainly the money is there, but I don't think they're going to put it towards football.

Arkansas isn't any more favorable than Ole Miss. Sure, they can probably generate more NIL, but it's pretty much a lateral move. FSU isn't going to pony up a buyout one year removed from a 13-0 season.

I think Auburn very well could fire Freeze but they really aren't a rich school, just a crazy one. At some point they are going to get tired of paying coaches not to coach.

Florida is the one threat, but I just don't know that they are going to pony up $20M+ to fire Napier and then commit at least $60M to Kiffin, which wouldn't really even be much of a pay raise for Kiffin. They have the ability to do it. I just don't know if they will.

On the other hand, it seems very likely Napier gets canned, so the other side of the argument is why would you pay $20+ million to get rid of Napier if you arent' going to get a big name coach to replace him.

[basedog]

Kiffin has it made at Ole Dixie, I’m not saying he will leave right now but college football is crazy for HC salaries. Also now days coaches staying long doesn’t happen like the old days. Hell we fired Arnett after year one and Morehead after two.

[RocketDawg]

Yea, I just don't see any desirable jobs ponying up what it would take to get him to leave, unless it's Florida.

You'd think UNC would be a better football school than they are. But they aren't, so I don't think they're poaching Lane. Certainly the money is there, but I don't think they're going to put it towards football.

Arkansas isn't any more favorable than Ole Miss. Sure, they can probably generate more NIL, but it's pretty much a lateral move. FSU isn't going to pony up a buyout one year removed from a 13-0 season.

I think Auburn very well could fire Freeze but they really aren't a rich school, just a crazy one. At some point they are going to get tired of paying coaches not to coach.

Florida is the one threat, but I just don't know that they are going to pony up $20M+ to fire Napier and then commit at least $60M to Kiffin, which wouldn't really even be much of a pay raise for Kiffin. They have the ability to do it. I just don't know if they will.

On the other hand, it seems very likely Napier gets canned, so the other side of the argument is why would you pay $20+ million to get rid of Napier if you arent' going to get a big name coach to replace him.

It's hard to believe that Florida made such a mess in hiring Napier. A lot wanted him for MSU, and "BertStare" said it was a done deal, but we certainly dodged a bullet. Once he gets booted from Florida, he'll not coach in the P4 any longer. And financially, he won't have to.