College football's bowl season is here, and teams across the country are rewarded with an extra game to cap off their season. One of those teams is the LSU Tigers, which finished 7-5 on the year. The Tigers will be taking on Houston in the Texas Bowl on Dec. 27.
LSU had an eventful season to say the least. The school fired head coach Brian Kelly midseason and has since replaced him with former Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin.
Although Kiffin reportedly wanted to coach his former team, the Ole Miss Rebels, during its CFP run, the school refused his request. So will Kiffin be coaching at all during LSU's game against the Cougars? Let's find out.
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Is Lane Kiffin coaching LSU's bowl game?
No, Kiffin will not be coaching the Tigers' game against Houston on Dec. 27. That job will go to LSU interim head coach Frank Wilson instead. This will be the last game for Wilson at LSU, who is a longtime Tigers assistant. Wilson, a Louisiana native, was on LSU's staff from 2010-2015 under Les Miles. He then returned to join Kelly's staff starting in 2022.
He was named the interim head coach for LSU shortly after Kelly's firing on Oct. 26. He has led LSU to a 2-2 finish through four games, including victories over Arkansas and Western Kentucky.
Instead of remaining on-staff with Kiffin after the bowl game, ironically, Wilson is leaving to join Ole Miss' staff. Last week, it was reported that he's joining new Rebels head coach Pete Golding's staff after the bowl game, although Wilson has not yet officially confirmed his move.
“We just want to finish what we started," Wilson said of waiting to officially announce his decision after the bowl game. "With this football team, with the team of 2025. Give them our undivided attention before transition happens.”
Wilson and Golding coached together at UTSA in 2017.
Since he is not coaching the bowl game, it's unclear if Kiffin will be on-hand for LSU's bowl game in Houston. Baton Rouge is about 270 miles east of Houston, so the new Tigers head coach could take a quick plane ride if he wanted to.
LSU is listed as a slight 3-point underdog against Houston, which finished 9-3 on the season. The Texas Bowl will be held in NRG Stadium, home of the Houston Texans, in Houston.
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Lane Kiffin contract
Last month, Kiffin signed a seven-year contract with LSU, which will pay him around $13 million annually. He is expected to make close o $91 million over the length of his contract. But with various incentives and bonuses built into his new deal with the Tigers, it could very well exceed that.
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