"You got me fired from USC": Lane Kiffin gets filled with gratitude recalling Paul Finebaum's Miley Cyrus commentÂ
Lane Kiffin led the Ole Miss Rebels to a big win in Week 11, defeating the then-No. 2-ranked Georgia Bulldogs 28-10. It marked the program's highest-ranked victory since 2015 and its largest margin of victory against a top-five opponent since 1969.
The Rebels head coach appeared on "The Paul Finebaum Show" on Wednesday, where he thanked the college football insider for his comments on College GameDay in 2013 when Finebaum called him "the Miley Cyrus of college football" and suggested that the USC Trojans should fire him, which they did after a loss that night.
Following his big win in Week 11, Kiffin said:
"I'm sure somebody else is going to get the Finebaum love somewhere else, and I'm okay with it when you take the shots because we've talked about this before. It makes you better. It makes you overcome things. You got me fired from USC and we've said that before," Kiffin said.
Kiffin continued:
"Now, I'm saying, hey, I wouldn't have been here to have the Georgia win if you wouldn't have got me fired at USC and I wouldn't have worked for Coach Saban, so again, I'm grateful to you, Paul. Thanks for that day. Thanks for the Miley Cyrus comment. ... She's still doing pretty well so, again, it really wasn't that big of a shot."
Watch Lane Kiffin's comments on the The Paul Finebaum Show below:
After his firing, Lane Kiffin revitalized his career by spending the following three seasons as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide.
He then spent three years leading the Florida Atlantic Owls before being named head coach of the Rebels.
He guided the Rebels to a program-record 11 wins last season, a feat he also achieved with FAU in 2017 and 2019.
Ole Miss recently moved up to No. 10 in the latest edition of the AP Top 25 Poll and No. 11 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Can Lane Kiffin lead the Ole Miss Rebels to the College Football Playoff?
Entering Week 12, the Lane Kiffin-led Ole Miss Rebels are 8-2, with a 4-2 mark in SEC play. They are ranked 11th in the latest edition of the College Football Playoff rankings, which puts them in a strong position to earn a postseason berth.
The new playoff format admits 12 teams, including the five highest-ranked conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked teams.
The Rebels have -350 odds of making the 12-team field, tied with the Alabama Crimson Tide for seventh-best in the nation and third-best in the conference.
The Rebels' final two games are against the Florida Gators and Mississippi State Bulldogs, who are a combined 6-13 and 2-10 in SEC play.