While Lane Kiffin toyed with three programs late in the week before ultimately picking LSU , the rest of the SEC coaching board was convulsing behind the scenes. For a moment, Auburn and Arkansas believed they had their men. Then one conversation -- not involving Ole Miss -- sent the entire carousel swerving off its tracks.

Everyone expected this potentially record-breaking cycle to get messy, but the speed at which things flipped late last week blindsided more than a few power brokers, industry sources told CBS Sports.

Yes, Kiffin's soap-opera two-step between Ole Miss and LSU set the tone, but that wasn't the twist that ultimately pushed multiple coaches into jobs they didn't quite anticipate seven days earlier.

The pivot was visible by Saturday.

The actual turn started

See Full Page