From Lane Kiffin to Jon Sumrall? How in the world did that happen?

Lane Kiffin says he has yet to make a decision about where he is going to be coaching football, perhaps as soon as next week. After Ole Miss (11-1, 7-1 SEC) doubled up on Mississippi State (5-7, 1-7 SEC) in the Egg Bowl Friday afternoon, Kiffin said he hadn’t made a decision.

“Maybe that surprises you,” Kiffin said at the post game press conference after beating Mississippi State, 38-19. “I’ve got to do some praying and figure this thing out.”

Unless he was lying – anything is possible – Kiffin really didn’t know what he’s going to do today when he announces if he’s staying at Ole Miss or taking another job. If multiple sources are correct, then Florida won’t be part of the decision. Friday night it was being reported by multiple, credible sources that the Gators have withdrawn their name from consideration in landing Kiffin and instead have switched their focus to Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall.

If the reports are true then while the Gators are trying to seal a deal to bring in Sumrall, Lane will be announcing that he’s either going to remain at Ole Miss or taking the vacant LSU job. While many in the LSU camp think it’s a done deal that Kiffin will be coming to Baton Rouge, the situation is complicated. Ole Miss is a mortal lock for the College Football Playoff and could actually wind up in Atlanta in the SEC championship game if Alabama is upset by Auburn today.

Does Lane Kiffin walk away from a playoff team? The Rebels won’t be the favorites in the College Football Playoff but any team with the kind of offensive weapons found at Ole Miss is scary good and certainly capable of making a run at a national championship.

Would Ole Miss allow Lane to coach the Rebels in the playoff if Lane announces he’s leaving? That seems highly doubtful. Is it worth leaving a team you’ve coached for 12 games into playoff contention for another job? No matter how enticing a job at LSU or even Florida might be, there are no assurances of making the playoff in the next year or two.

The Sumrall situation isn’t a thornless rose for Florida. Tulane is 9-2 (6-1 American Conference) with a regular season ending game with Charlotte (1-10) today. The Green Wave are 30.5-point favorites to win the game and face North Texas (11-1, 7-1 American) in the conference championship game next week. Tulane is currently the top-ranked Group of Five team in the College Football Playoff poll, so if the Green Wave win the next two games, they’re in the playoff.

Would Tulane allow Sumrall to coach in the playoff if he had been hired by another school? Is Florida prepared to hire a Group of Five coach from Louisiana – we know how that worked out last time the Gators hired a coach – who may not be in position to take over the program for a minimum of three weeks?

Maybe the best question is the same one that Lane Kiffin has to answer at Ole Miss. Does Lane abandon Ole Miss when the Rebels are mortal locks for the playoff and does Sumrall abandon a Tulane playoff team for another job?

So, here are some questions that demand answers:

1. If Lane Kiffin is still undecided, then why did Florida withdraw? Did he tell Florida no way? Or did Florida feel the necessity to move on rather than be jilted and publicly humiliated by a potential third place finish in the race to lane Lane?

2. If Jon Sumrall can’t leave Tulane for three weeks is Florida prepared for the recruiting fallout?

3. Do the people making the decisions at Florida believe Sumrall can hold a rather decent portion of the current Florida roster together?

4. Is Sumrall strong enough to bring in an exceptional portal class? With the Gators likely to take a powder with high school kids, a strong portal class is a necessity.

5. Do the powers that be think the Florida fan base is going to be excited about an offense that ranks eighth in the 14-team American Conference in both scoring (28.8) and yards per game (412)?

6. If Lane Kiffin decides to leave for LSU, will Ole Miss pursue Sumrall? And what if Lane stays at Ole Miss? Would LSU think Sumrall is a good answer given he’s already coaching in New Orleans and knows Louisiana recruiting?

7. If somehow Sumrall says no to Florida, then who’s next on the list? Is it Jedd Fisch, the Florida grad and former Steve Spurrier grad assistant who is now the head coach at Washington? He’s been the head coach at Arizona and now Washington, two power conference schools, which seems a bit more impressive than two years at the Sun Belt (Troy) and two at the American (Tulane).

What should be concerning to every Florida fan is the Gators are on the verge of settling once again. The Gators had a leg up on landing Lane Kiffin due to the timing of the firing of Billy Napier. Florida should have gone in with an offer Lane Kiffin couldn’t have possibly refused from the beginning and made him say no with enough time that the coaching search could have focused its attention to landing another coach who would be considered a home run hire.

With its resources and the head start it had,  there is no excuse for Florida to be withdrawing from trying to land the hottest coaching name out there and instead settling for a coach whose career record (41-11) is about the same as the last Group of Five coach that was hired four short years ago. With a win today, Sumrall will have three seasons of 10-or-more wins in four years as a head coach. Billy Napier, should you need to be reminded, was 40-12 at Louisiana when hired by Scott Stricklin. Napier won 10-or-more games three years out of four at Louisiana.

And, if Lane Kiffin doesn’t think Florida is a good fit, then why aren’t the Gators making a Godfather offer out there to a top coach with a proven track record? If Florida was willing to pay Lane Kiffin $15 million over 10 years, then there isn’t a top-of-the-line coach out there that wouldn’t crawl backwards to Gainesville for such an opportunity?

When Billy Napier was fired, the promise from Scott Stricklin was to land a power conference coach with a championship track record. Having whiffed on Lane Kiffin – and whether by Kiffin’s choice or Florida’s is irrelevant – why is Florida settling on a coach whose similarities to Billy Napier are frightening?

SEC FOOTBALL

Friday’s games

No. 16 Texas (9-3, 6-2 SEC) 27, No. 3 Texas A&M (11-1, 7-1 SEC) 17: The Aggies might not make it to Atlanta for the SEC championship game, but they will still make the College Football Playoff. Most likely they won’t get a first round playoff bye but will host a first round game. As for Texas, the Longhorns might make a great case to get in the playoff even with three losses. What probably keeps the Longhorns out is that loss to Florida.

No. 4 Georgia (11-1, 7-1 SEC) 16, Georgia Tech (9-3) 9: Georgia probably moves up to No. 3 in the CFP top 25. The Bulldogs are mortal locks for the playoff but to get a first round bye they’ll probably have to win the SEC championship game in Atlanta. Georgia Tech needed to upset Georgia to have a shot at the playoff.

No. 6 Ole Miss (11-1, 7-1 SEC) 38, Mississippi State (5-7, 1-7 SEC) 19: The Rebels are locks for the playoff and they still have a chance to make the SEC championship game if Auburn upsets Alabama.

Today’s games

Florida State (5-6) at FLORIDA (3-8, 2-6 SEC)

LSU (7-4, 3-4 SEC) at No. 8 Oklahoma (9-2, 5-2 SEC)

No. 10 Alabama (9-2, 6-1 SEC) at Auburn (5-6, 1-6 SEC)

No. 12 Vanderbilt (9-2, 5-2 SEC) at No. 18 Tennessee (8-3, 4-3 SEC)

Missouri (7-4, 2-4 SEC) at Arkansas (2-9, 0-7 SEC)

Kentucky (5-6, 2-6 SEC) at Louisville (7-4)

Clemson (6-5) at South Carolina (4-7, 1-7 SEC)