Lane Kiffin addresses Ole Miss 'ultimatum' report, talks playoff as Florida, LSU rumors circulate

The circus that followed Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin's flirtation with the vacancies at Florida and LSU added a new layer Tuesday after he slammed the idea of an "ultimatum" given to him by Rebels leadership. The Athletic reported that Ole Miss gave Kiffin a deadline to make a decision on his future by Nov. 28, the date of the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State.

"That's absolutely not true, anything like that at all ... I don't know where that came from," Kiffin said on The Pat McAfee Show in what appeared to be a pre-recorded clip. "I love it here. We're having blast. It just couldn't be better. You pray for things. Our fans prayed for this type of thing, now we're in the middle of it, so enjoy it."

Kiffin said he had a 6 a.m. yoga session Tuesday, and athletic director Keith Carter joined him. That was the extent of the conversation with McAfee involving the pair's working relationship, notable given Carter's recent acknowledgement the school was working on an extension for Kiffin.

CBS Sports reported over the weekend that those in Oxford were previously confident that Kiffin would sign a long-term extension and return next season. Those hopes weakened a bit recently, despite the idea of Ole Miss in the playoff potentially strengthening the Rebels' chances at retaining him.

Members of Kiffin's family received a private tour of Baton Rouge, Louisiana Monday after LSU sent a private plane for the excursion, per The Advocate. In addition to the Baton Rouge trip, a Kiffin family member visited Gainesville, Florida, sources confirmed to John Talty and Richard Johnson of CBS Sports.

Neither Florida's interest in Kiffin nor reports of LSU being in pursuit were mentioned by McAfee or his crew. Instead, the focus of the remainder of the interview shifted toward Ole Miss' stance in the College Football Playoff conversation.

"There's too many variables," Kiffin said. "Everybody's like, 'You gotta get to the top 12 teams' ... well, now we're finding out depending on how other things go, you've really got to get to the top 10 teams to get in the playoff. Two of the teams might not even be in the top 12 with the current flawed system. You better make sure you're in the top 10 or you may get left out."

Kiffin's in the middle of his fourth 10-win season in six years with the Rebels. He is one victory over Mississippi State away from locking in a playoff berth and a first-round home game.

"I have an extremely high expectation of how we should perform as a program and I've had that as long as we got there," Kiffin said. "My expectation is way up there. When outside expectations happen, or for instance, now our fanbase getting used to these 10-win seasons every year, I'm good with it. They're now coming to the expectation I've had all along here. 

"We're now aligned in our expectations in what we want our program to be. I love that the fans now have what some people would say is unrealistic expectations for Ole Miss, because now they're just matching how I feel."