Kiffin's decision comes less than a month before the Rebels are expected to embark on their first College Football Playoff appearance in program history. Ole Miss also won its program-record 11th regular season game with Friday's 38-19 victory over rival Mississippi State.

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin is leaving the Rebels for LSU, in a stunning and unprecedented case of a college football coach taking another job while his current team is in contention to win a national title. Ole Miss players were told during a Sunday afternoon meeting that defensive coordinator Pete Golding was the team’s new permanent head coach.

Ole Miss football defeated Mississippi State at Davis Wade Stadium, winning the Egg Bowl for the third straight season.