LSU Now Owes Lane Kiffin $500,000 After Another Ole Miss Win

The semifinals of the College Football Playoff are set. And just like everyone predicted at the start of the season, our four finalists are Indiana, Oregon, Miami, and Ole Miss. The Rebels are being coached by Pete Golding, who took over after Lane Kiffin departed the school to become LSU's head coach.

That decision has led to another intriguing subplot in a postseason that's been full of interesting storylines. Kiffin had a clause in his Ole Miss contract that paid him various levels of bonuses depending on how well the Rebels did in the playoff.

Kiffin hasn't coached a single snap during the CFP, but he's still getting a bonus—and LSU is paying it.

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After Ole Miss defeated Tulane in the first round, Kiffin was going to receive a payout of $250,000. Now, upon Ole Miss's 39-34 win over Georgia in a thrilling Sugar Bowl, Kiffin's payout will increase to $500,000.

As part of Kiffin's LSU contract, the Tigers will add "ancillary benefits" to the deal. The Ole Miss payout is included among those benefits. And the money LSU owes could potentially double.

If Ole Miss wins its semifinal matchup against Miami, Kiffin's payday will rise to $750,000. Should the Rebels then defeat either Indiana or Oregon and win the national championship, he'll get a cool $1 million.

Meanwhile, Golding has done an admirable job continuing to lead the Rebels through its best season yet. Ole Miss is 13-1 and just avenged its lone loss by defeating Georgia. The game included comebacks from both sides and a thrilling fourth quarter where the teams put up a collective 30 points. It also featured a final six seconds that took about ten minutes of real time, and multiple confusing moments where players rushed the field, confetti fell, Gatorade baths were doused, and the stadium crew had to wheel the celebratory stage on and off the field. A truly magical college football moment.

The Rebels are only two wins away from winning its first championship in the College Football Playoff era and first national title since 1962. All the while, they're running up a more expensive tab for LSU to pay.