Lane Kiffin opts out of attending Sugar Bowl, won't support Ole Miss

Jeff Hauser

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Lane Kiffin opts out of attending Sugar Bowl, won't support Ole Miss image

Lane Kiffin will not attend the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, opting instead to be on hand for an LSU women’s basketball game, according to WAFB-TV’s Jacques Doucet.

The newly hired Kiffin is expected to attend the LSU Tigers game against Kentucky on Thursday night. His absence from the Sugar Bowl comes despite interest from ESPN in having Kiffin appear on the broadcast during the Ole Miss Rebels’ matchup with the Georgia Bulldogs.

Kiffin had been invited to the game by Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, but the optics of promoting LSU’s new coach during a major bowl featuring Ole Miss appear to have complicated matters. ESPN was reportedly receptive after Kiffin approached the network about a possible on-air segment, though navigating discussion of one program without referencing the other has proven difficult.

Speculation about Kiffin’s future dominated the closing stretch of Ole Miss’ season, even after an Egg Bowl victory over Mississippi State on Nov. 28 capped the winningest regular season in school history. Kiffin later finalized his move to LSU, hiring several Ole Miss assistants and maintaining ties to key Rebels players.

Kiffin has loaned out his assistants to Ole Miss to coach in the College Football Playoff. They'll return to Baton Rouge when all is decided and become a rival again with the Tigers. 

Ole Miss and Georgia kick off Thursday at 8 p.m. ET in the Caesars Superdome (ESPN, available on FuboTV).

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Senior Editor