Lane Kiffin keeps trolling Tennessee with the perfect sponsor for Neyland Stadium
By John Buhler
The petty wars that Lane Kiffin keeps fighting are why he will go down as a college football legend. Yes, he is doing incredible things at Ole Miss and did quite well in his previous two stops at Florida Atlantic and at Alabama as the Crimson Tide's offensive coordinator. However, he is never able to fully escape his past, one that is chock full of shenanigans and embarrassing moments for his family.
Outside of getting tarmac-ed to end his tumultuous tenure as the USC Trojans' head coach, the other big skeleton in his closet has to be his one-year run leading the Tennessee Volunteers back in 2009. He replaced the iconic Phillip Fulmer at the helm. While Kiffin was decent during his one season in Rocky Top, he packed his bags and left for USC, making the entire Volunteer State feel like a big joke.
In the decade-plus since that happened, Kiffin has become the best head coach Ole Miss has had since Johnny Vaught. Furthermore, his triumphant return to Neyland Stadium a few years ago resulted in Vol Nation throwing all sorts of garbage on the field in a heart-breaking home loss to the Rebels. The two most-known projectiles were a bottle of French's mustard and a golf ball aimed at Kiffin's head.
When prompted to answer the ideal corporate logo sponsor to be placed in the middle of the field at Neyland Stadium, you know what direction Kiffin was going. He put some extra mustard on that one!
The Kiffin-Manning Bowl should be played annually, possibly rotating games in Memphis as well.
Lane Kiffin wants to splatter mustard all over Neyland Stadium's checkers
There are plenty of reasons to not like Tennessee. Peyton Manning is not for everyone, and neither is the color orange, especially when it looks like some processed cheese. While the fanbase is proud, passionate and loud, it can very quickly drive it into the ditch to be delusional, chaotic and cultish. Admittedly, you can probably say that about most teams in the SEC, but Tennessee is definitely one.
Overall, the nature of this "rivalry" is only a good thing for Ole Miss, Tennessee, SEC and college football. The Rebels and Volunteers are among the 15 best teams in the country. They should win around eight to 11 games apiece this season. Ole Miss has national title aspirations, while Tennessee has a great shot at making the expanded College Football Playoff as well. Things are going well here.
However, it is stuff like this where I question if Kiffin will ever have the maturity to win a national championship. He has the resources and financial backing to do it at Ole Miss. We know that he is a terrific recruiter and a fantastic offensive mind. Unfortunately, if there is a third rail out there, you know Kiffin is going to want to touch it. It is just part of who he is. We love him, and hate him for this.
If Kiffin feels Neyland should be sponsored by French's, then Jordan-Hare must be Charmin Stadium.