Aug 31, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive coordinator Pete Golding watches during warm ups prior to the game against the Furman Paladins at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

It's Carousel Sunday in college football. Coaches are getting hired and fired. They are moving and plotting and considering their options. Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss and went to LSU on Sunday. Ole Miss had a decision to make in terms of its staff for the College Football Playoff and beyond. The Rebels could have installed a temporary coach just to handle the playoff. They could have punted on hiring their 2026 head coach. Instead, they decided to hire a permanent head coach: Pete Golding.

Ole Miss elevated its defensive coordinator not only to head coach, but to the permanent head coach. The Rebels don't want to deal with a full-on coaching search. They want a coach who can instantly handle the College Football Playoff and also deal with the transfer portal window and the urgent business of retaining the incoming recruiting class. The move makes sense on a lot of levels, at least in terms of providing consistency. Whether the Rebels will have the coach they need in the playoff is a different question, but this is less about the playoff and more about not wanting a lack of clarity in 2026 and beyond.

Ole Miss needs to retain as much of its roster as possible for the playoff. If there is significant roster turnover, the Rebels could be hit hard by the CFP committee in a manner which recalls what happened to Florida State with Jordan Travis in 2023. Ole Miss wouldn't be locked out of the playoff, but the Rebels might not host a first-round game. We will find out next Sunday, December 7, when the playoff field is revealed.

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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Ole Miss makes its big coaching move after Lane Kiffin leaves

Reporting by Matt Zemek, College Sports Wire / College Sports Wire

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