Cover 3 College Football Podcast

Episode: Upon Further Review: Latest from Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss and the Coaching Carousel, CFP projections
Date: December 1, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode delivers a passionate, in-depth breakdown of the college football coaching carousel, with a central focus on Lane Kiffin's departure from Ole Miss to LSU and the resulting fallout. The hosts debate Kiffin’s legacy, dissect the ripple effects on Ole Miss’s succession plans, analyze other head coaching vacancies (Kentucky, Michigan State, Penn State), and dive into the ever-evolving College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings and projections. Their tone is energetic and frank, often veering into heated exchanges reflecting the controversial nature of the current college football landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Lane Kiffin Saga: Ole Miss to LSU

[03:35–15:16]

• Relief and Controversy:

  • Danny celebrates closure: "Thank goodness. It's over." (03:35)
  • Tom and Bud push back on finality, citing the ever-turning coaching carousel and Kiffin's ongoing saga.

• Impact on Programs:

  • Danny questions if either program (LSU or Ole Miss) truly improved: "I don't know if either one got better based on the expectations." (04:16)
  • Sheer difficulty of replicating success at Ole Miss and pressures at LSU (national title within 3–4 years expected).

• Kiffin’s Legacy and Character Debate:

  • The group debates if Kiffin's exit, marked by secrecy and last-minute decisions, is a character flaw.
  • Tom sharply critiques Kiffin's history: "...every job he's been at ended... he leaves Tennessee after a year, goes to USC... they fire his ass on the tarmac..." (08:01)
  • Danny offers defense: "I don't think he's the bad guy in all of this...I genuinely think he wanted to coach Ole Miss till it was done..." (06:19)

• Ole Miss Response – Pete Golding’s Promotion:

  • With Kiffin gone, Ole Miss turns to DC Pete Golding as head coach.
  • Bud says: "I think it was the only choice they had to keep this thing together for the playoff, honestly, because Lane screwed them with the timing..." (17:10)
  • Concerns are raised about Golding’s ability to be "the face" of the program, but optimism persists given his recruiting chops.

• Industry Machinations:

  • Notable mention of bot farms and PR efforts influencing online sentiment during these high-profile transitions.
    "Somehow a bot farm...tweeted a bunch of really pro Silverfield and really pro Lane stuff...identical tweet." (16:28, Bud)

Memorable Quote:

"The way in which he went about it feels kind of scummy." – Tom Fornelli (07:56)

2. Coaching Carousel: Kentucky, Michigan State, Penn State

[20:52–41:22]

Kentucky's Next Steps

• Stoops negotiated flexible buyout, making way for Will Stein as a top candidate.
• Bud: "It's very much like a South Carolina, Missouri type job...I don't really think you can win there, but you will get generational wealth." (21:40)
• Danny warns that Stein, at 36, might want to wait for a better job: "I would think long and hard if I'm Will Stein...You could be looking for work at 41 and have to go back..." (25:08)

Michigan State's Hire: Pat Fitzgerald

• Fitzgerald’s track record at Northwestern contextualized by difficult years post-transfer portal and NIL changes.
• Tom strongly supports the hire: "If he's able to win 10 games a year at Northwestern before all the changes happened, I'm incredibly confident that he's going to win games with better athletes [at MSU]." (31:45)
• Bud is skeptical: "He did start falling off before the portal started hitting..." (33:01)

Penn State’s Search

• Discussed candidates: Kalani Sitake (BYU), Bob Chesney, Josh Heupel, Matt Campbell, and possibility of internal Terry Smith.
• The challenge of replacing James Franklin and the perception of “winning the breakup.”
• Tom: "So if this ends with Bob Chesney, is it a successful coaching transition for Penn State?" (41:27)

Notable Segment:

• Examination of why coordinators are now gaining serious consideration vs. exclusively head coaches.
  "We have seen plenty of instances of coordinators having success when they take over the big program." (24:03, Tom)

3. Reactions to New AP Top 25 and CFP Polls

[47:04–56:05]

AP Top 25 Shakeup

• Texas A&M drops from #3 to #7, now the lowest one-loss team in the top 10.
• Missouri returns at #25 despite lacking wins over FBS teams with a winning record.
• Tom: "There's really nothing about this poll that really bothers me...Missouri still being ranked despite not having a single win over a team with a winning record. That's FCS level, G5 level, Power 4 level. Cool." (48:46)

Poll Critique

• Danny calls out "laziness" among voters as the polls become less meaningful late in the season.
• Chip unpacks why only minor poll movements occur this deep into the season: "Your opinion on a team after the 11th data point is not going to get drastically different after the 12th..." (50:12)

4. Bud Elliott’s College Football Playoff Projections

[52:05–59:59]

• Bud lays out the latest playoff scenarios based on conference championship outcomes:

  • Ohio State, Indiana, Bama, and Texas Tech as projected top four.
  • Discussion on the handling of Alabama, especially if it loses SEC championship.

• Debate on the CFP committee potentially "rigging" the rankings to ensure Alabama stays in:
  "They're going to have to rig this thing tomorrow night because if Bama loses in the SEC championship game, you can't then go and jump Bama above Notre Dame." (53:06, Bud)

• The possibility of BYU as a “bid thief”—if they win the Big 12, Notre Dame gets bumped.

• Debate on how the committee weighs head-to-head, resume, and "television product."

• General consensus: Alabama is safe in the playoff unless there's a catastrophic scenario. BYU is not similarly protected.

Quote of Segment:

"I think Alabama has no chance of missing the College Football Playoff." – Chip Patterson (57:30)

5. Smarter, Quirkier Notes: Miscellaneous & "Upon Further Review"

[63:33–68:10]

• Celebration of Stanford’s surprise performance, helping Notre Dame’s playoff argument.
• Deep-dive on Oklahoma's offense:
  Tom notes, "Their success rate in victories on offense this year is 40.4%. The national average is 46.4%...So the fact they are 10 and 2...is a testament to how good that defense is. And Oklahoma, I believe you belong in the College Football Playoff. I'm just making jokes about your offense because even you don't want to watch it. Don't pretend you do." (66:16)
• If Ole Miss hosts a playoff game under Pete Golding, expect an electric home atmosphere—as well as speculation about whether the committee might favor such a storyline.

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “Thank goodness. It’s over.” – Danny Kanell, on Lane Kiffin’s saga (03:35)
• “It’s not over.” – Bud Elliott (03:44), warning more twists remain, especially with NFL jobs.
• “The way in which he went about it feels kind of scummy.” – Tom Fornelli (07:56), on Lane Kiffin’s process.
• “He wanted Ole Miss to make the decision for him… That’s something children do.” – Tom Fornelli (13:47)
• “If you are an active P5 head coach… and you are going to a rival… that's just not going to be a situation that ends well.” – Bud Elliott (09:19)
• “Pete Golding seems to be a popular choice within that building… I think it was the only choice they had to keep this thing together for the playoff.” – Bud Elliott (17:10)
• “So I would be like very skeptical on some of these Oregon reports that he's coming back, but Will Stein would be in one of the best positions to know that.”, on Kentucky's search (21:53, Bud)
• “If he's able to win 10 games a year at Northwestern… I'm incredibly confident that he's going to win games with better athletes [at MSU].” – Tom Fornelli (31:45)
• “The committee has kind of backed themselves into a corner…” – Bud Elliott, on CFP rankings (53:06)
• “Wide open [Heisman] race. A lot of good options for everybody to consider.” – Chip Patterson (69:55)

Important Timestamps

• Lane Kiffin/Ole Miss-LSU Fallout: 03:35–19:56
• Kentucky Coaching Search: 20:52–29:31
• Michigan State/Pat Fitzgerald: 30:01–35:15
• Penn State Search: 39:30–41:27
• AP Top 25 Reaction: 47:04–52:05
• CFP Projections & Scenarios: 52:05–59:59
• "Upon Further Review" – Oklahoma Offense: 64:57–66:38
• Closing Banter & Heisman Watch: 68:10–69:55

Flow & Tone

• The episode is energetic, argumentative, and rich in both statistics and hot takes.
• Banter often shifts from analytical to playful—especially as hosts needle each other about biases and allegiances.
• Several segments are heated, but always return to sharp, informed analysis—a testament to the hosts' expertise.

Summary for Listeners

This episode is a must-listen for college football fans eager to understand not just where the coaching carousel is spinning, but why it matters for program trajectories, recruiting, and the 2025 postseason. The hosts dissect the Lane Kiffin drama with candor, unpack the difficult questions facing programs like Kentucky, Michigan State, and Penn State, and offer their sharpest CFP projections yet. Expect memorable arguments, quotable one-liners, and the latest insights as the regular season barrels into the championship phase.