Which is the more desirable SEC football program: LSU or Florida?
ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum argued that will be the question Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin is peppered with most over the next several months as he tries to lead the Rebels to a College Football Playoff berth after Florida’s Billy Napier and LSU’s Brian Kelly were fired.
The coaches were hired days apart in 2021 — and fired a week apart in 2025.
While Kiffin has had remarkable success in Oxford, Mississippi, LSU and Florida are arguably two of the best head coaching positions in college football — let alone the SEC — with both programs looking for a new direction after their respective coach firings.
Finebaum gave his take on which of the two jobs is more desirable for Kiffin on the Monday, Oct. 27, episode of ‘Get Up.’
‘It’s a close call, but in my mind, LSU is a better job,’ Finebaum said. ‘It just had a great infrastructure down there, I say that, I realize they fired their last three or four coaches, but I think Lane Kiffin fits that culture pretty well. He’s familiar with it. He’s also familiar with Florida as we said last week, but I don’t think there’s any question that of the jobs opening, LSU is going to be the one that everybody wants.’
Florida fired Napier on Sunday, Oct. 19, following a 23-21 win over Mississippi State, that improved his record to 22-23 in three-plus seasons with the Gators. LSU fired Kelly on Sunday, Oct. 26, following a 49-25 drubbing to Texas A&M at home. Kelly ended his tenure with the Tigers with a 34-14 record.