Everything Lane Kiffin said about his coaching future with Ole Miss after Egg Bowl win

No. 7 Ole Miss likely secured its spot in the College Football Playoff with Saturday's 38-19 win against Mississippi State. The Rebels also secured their first 11-win regular season in program history and claimed their third Egg Bowl in a row for the first time since 2002-04. 

But those accomplishments weren't the focus during ABC's broadcast of the Egg Bowl. They weren't the focus as Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin took the podium to address reporters following his team's victory. 

Everything that happened on the field was overshadowed by Kiffin's murky future with the Rebels. Almost every spectator had at least one eye turned towards Saturday, when Kiffin is expected to decide whether or not he will remain at Ole Miss or fill the coaching vacancy at LSU. 

As of Friday evening, Kiffin hasn't made a final call. 

"I haven't," Kiffin said. "Maybe that surprises you. I got to do some praying and figure this thing out. I can get to that tomorrow. I live life about one day at a time. Maybe that doesn't help you, but I've learned to live that way for about six years now, five years. That helps me. Today is all about these players performing really well and keeping this Egg Bowl trophy where it belongs."     

Word should come soon and, if he leaves Ole Miss, it would almost certainly have to be before the Rebels embark on their first playoff run in program history. 

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Below is everything Kiffin said about the pending decision and his future at Ole Miss Saturday:    

Opening statement 

"Just to watch our players at the end -- I told them last night, as you get older, you get joy from others, especially your children, which players a lot of times are similar. I just wanted them to get to 1-0 today. Just like every time we've been in this stadium, to watch them go over there to the fans with the Egg Bowl trophy and be able to celebrate that alone, just winning the Egg Bowl. And then on top of that, for them to win 11 regular season games. We talk a lot about, coach (Pete) Carroll used to say, 'Do things better than you've ever done before.' They just did that. I guess no one in the entire state has ever had an 11-win regular season, so that's pretty cool, especially since the SEC has never been harder or deeper than it is now. So that's an amazing accomplishment by them.

"I know the storyline about distractions all week and stuff. I would just say, and I was going to say during the week, we build our teams differently. So what you may think is distracting, as I understand our fanbase or media, I don't think it is. We train our guys from the beginning when we get them and build our teams to focus on what they can control and block out noise… I wasn't concerned this week and they've been doing it for a month. I would say we teach our players and our staff a lot of times that what you think might be really bad might be good. Maybe you should think the other way, that all that distraction and all the noise outside bonds them together because they know their team, their coach, their coaches. And everybody says, 'Well, they're going to be distracted. They're not going to play well or they should want a different coach.' I think that bonds them together to stay focused and to play really well." 

On if he plans to still make his decision Saturday 

"I feel like I've got to. Probably not as enjoyable as people probably think it is. Like Kirby (Smart) says when he wants to complain about being in the national championship and missing the portal window, there's no crying from the yacht. So I'm not trying to get pity. But it's not as enjoyable as maybe some people would think."  

On if winning the Egg Bowl and making the playoff makes his decision more difficult 

"I think it's difficult no matter what. I think that there is a relief that we played like I thought they would today. I did think they would play like this. But you never know. I am relieved for that, cause if we didn't play well today, we all know what the storyline would be. It would be my fault for having them distracted and stuff. I'm really glad that we proved that narrative, which is a fair narrative for people to write and I think a lot of our fans felt that way this week. Understandable. But they don't know our room and they don't know how we train them and how they think." 

On what was going through his mind watching the Ole Miss crowd after the game 

"Just really cool. That's, what, the third time we've been here? Third time emptying out their stadium and then watching that crowd do it and that game, and then Jaxson Dart and watching Trinidad (Chambliss) carry that trophy. I said to them, this just gives me so much joy to see them be able to do something like this. To watch these guys come together -- like, they came from everywhere. I should probably know this, but I bet you on offense we don't have any players that play from the state of Mississippi. Think about that. Maybe I'm wrong but I don't think we have any… So they came from all over the place to come together to do this, to win and then bring joy to all the fans which are from Mississippi, mostly I assume." 

On his postgame interaction with a reporter 

"I understand your guys' job and I think things are fair. Like I say, when questions come, those are fair questions. Maybe I can't answer them, maybe I don't see them the same. But when you call someone a hoe, that's a different level of stuff. Can't make hoes into housewives, or something like that. That's about as bush league as stealing Trinidad's jersey like Mississippi State did last night. I ain't got any respect for that."             

On the most difficult part of the decision 

"There's a lot into it. It's a hard decision. You guys have them all the time. You've got to make decisions about jobs you take and where you move and all those things. Again, we get paid a lot, so I understand ours is under a different spotlight and scrutiny. A lot of people that are critical of it are the same people that do it all the time. They make decisions. They've got to figure out the best things to do. In other professions, it's a little easier cause you get to go to places and they bring you there and you go for a weekend, you see all the schools and neighborhoods and all the stuff and then you make the decision. Our jobs are more difficult that way but I'm not complaining about it." 

On who he can rely on to help with the decision 

"I miss my dad on this. I really missed him this week. My two calls would be the closest to that from advice that my dad would say to do on these things and that will be coach Carroll and coach (Nick) Saban. Kind of wish, when you had things to do in life, that your dad was there. But it is what it is." 

On his specific timeframe 

"Very fair question. I don't know. Maybe I should. I don't. I know it may be crazy with all the attention on it. I'm happy for our players. I'm going to go watch my son play." 

On if he would be allowed to coach Ole Miss in the CFP if he takes another job 

"That's not my call. I wouldn't know that."