Lane Kiffin’s place in history, plus a weird NFL Sunday
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Hot Routes: Sure, Panthers
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We have a ton of news today, so this NFL Sunday gets shorter treatment. And yes, we had some strange results:
- Let’s start with last night’s late game, where 10-2 Denver tried everything in its power to lose to the Jayden Daniels-less Commanders, whose failed 2-point attempt in overtime gave the Broncos a 27-26 win. I’m convinced this Denver team could both beat the 1972 Dolphins and lose to this year’s Titans.
- In more shocking news: The Panthers — yes, Carolina — beat the juggernaut Rams 31-28 to reach 7-6 in one of the NFL’s most surprising seasons. L.A.’s loss means the Bears are the NFC’s No. 1 seed right now. Wild.
- Remember when the Colts were great? It feels far off after a loss to the Texans yesterday. Wins by the Chargers and Jaguars yesterday sent Indianapolis (8-4) careening down the playoff standings, too.
See more in our Week 13 takeaways, including the Bills’ big win and drama in Cleveland. Let’s hop on the carousel and hold on for dear life:
Wheeeeee: Kiffin’s decision tops the avalanche
Lane Kiffin is officially LSU’s coach, something we’ve seen coming for weeks at this point but is no less surreal now that it’s a reality. Kiffin flew from Oxford, Miss., to Baton Rouge, La., yesterday and was even meeting with Tiger recruits last night.
The finality to this seals what will be a defining college football story of this era: The hottest coach on the market left his former team, No. 6 Ole Miss — before it plays in the College Football Playoff — for a detested conference rival. This is norm-shattering stuff.
Some quick (and personal) thoughts:
- As an LSU fan? I’m pumped. My team snagged its first choice while also destabilizing a competitor’s best season ever. It is an unprecedented coup.
- As an objective observer? It’s hard to process. LSU-Alabama may be the defining SEC rivalry of this generation, but Ole Miss-LSU has a deep history. Take it from this child of an Ole Miss grad and an LSU grad: These two schools have been telling each other to go to hell — literally — for decades. LSU travels to Ole Miss next season, too. Hoo buddy.
- Kiffin himself becomes the face of the coaching carousel, for better or worse. And not just this year — the coaching carousel as a concept. This is the same man who left Tennessee and caused a riot, the guy who got fired on the tarmac at USC and the dude who Nick Saban booted during a Playoff run at Alabama because Kiffin couldn’t handle that job and his upcoming gig at Florida Atlantic. Joe Rexrode says Kiffin, 50, has earned permanent villain status.
For Ole Miss, it is gutting, and Rebel fans of a certain age know this feeling. In 1998, Tommy Tuberville denied he would leave Oxford for Auburn until he did, two days after the season ended. But that was when the Rebels were still a middling team on the rise; to leave at this peak is unfathomable. Ole Miss officially hired defensive coordinator Pete Golding as Kiffin’s replacement last night, by the way.
I do think it’s absurd this entire process dragged on so long and so painfully. It’s a symptom of college football’s current structure and of a PR battle waged between Ole Miss and its now-former coach. But that’s over.
Enough about Kiffin (for now). David Ubben has a handy FAQ for all things about this saga. It was far from the only coaching news yesterday:
Justin Ford / Getty Images
- Late last night, news broke that Kentucky fired longtime coach Mark Stoops after an embarrassing loss to Louisville this weekend. Interesting time to enter the hiring cycle, with so much action already over.
- Done deals: Florida hired Tulane’s Jon Sumrall, Auburn picked South Florida’s Alex Golesh, Arkansas tabbed Memphis’ Ryan Silverfield and, in a mild stunner, Michigan State brought in former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald. Sumrall, unlike Kiffin, is expected to coach out the rest of the season with the Green Wave.
The carousel ride is almost over. Chris Vannini has grades for every hire and also ranked the remaining open jobs, with Penn State leading the way.
Let’s keep going:
News to Know
Kayla Wolf / Getty Images
30-0? Nice
The Nebraska volleyball team earned one of four top seeds in the upcoming NCAA Tournament after finishing a 30-0 season over the weekend. The Huskers lost just one set in 20 Big Ten matches this year. Absurd. Other top seeds: Kentucky, Texas and Pitt. See our full update.
More news
- Max Verstappen won the Qatar Grand Prix yesterday, setting up a three-way battle for the season title at the Formula One finale in Dubai this coming weekend. Drama.
- Iowa State junior Audi Crooks set a program record with 47 points in the Cyclones’ win over Indiana. Previous record holder: Audi Crooks.
- The WNBA and its players union agreed to a six-week extension for CBA negotiations. See the latest here.
📰 Find more news here 24/7.
Feedback Loop: Shout out to turkey, again
Without further ado, the results of our 2025 Pulse Thanksgiving Draft:
Congratulations to Hannah, whose plate of roast turkey, cheesy hashbrown casserole, chocolate chip pecan pie and glögg edged out my own scrumptious plate. Alas. This is the second straight year the plate featuring turkey as the main dish has won.
Thank you all for participating. I’m sure you’ll be hearing angry things from our losers in the coming days. I hope your holiday was swell.
Almost done:
What to Watch
📺 NFL: Giants at Patriots
8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN
New England has won nine straight and is tied atop the AFC standings at 10-2 with the Broncos. Who knows what we’ll get with the G-Men, but it’ll probably be entertaining.
📺 Soccer: USWNT vs. Italy
7 p.m. ET on TBS/HBO Max/Peacock
Any chance to watch the U.S. women’s team should be taken, and judging by Friday’s result in this same friendly matchup, we could see more American fun.
📺 NBA: Bulls at Magic
7:30 p.m. ET on Peacock
Orlando was one of the early season’s biggest disasters, and now the Magic are 12-8, sitting sixth in the East after an 8-2 sprint through their last 10 games. This article from last week remains relevant.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
This week is massive in the soccer world, as the men’s World Cup draw begins Friday. Jack Lang answered every question about the “big, big, big” event before we watch. Read that here.
What’s the ugliest contract in MLB right now? Cody Stavenhagen ranked the worst underwater deals. I still forget about the Kris Bryant contract in Colorado.
In lighter news, Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo empty their notebooks on what they’re hearing at this point in the MLB offseason. Always useful.
Dom Luszczyszyn uses data to show early season NHL award candidates. The Selke Trophy race could be intriguing.
The Michael Jordan vs. NASCAR trial begins today. It could change the sport.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: The Lane Kiffin live blog.
Most-read on the website yesterday: ☝️
📫 That’s all for now! Say hello at thepulse@theathletic.com, and check out our other newsletters.
