The Ole Miss victory over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday night was a win-win for the Rebels and for their former head coach Lane Kiffin, who earned at least a $500,000 bonus from his new employer, LSU.
As stipulated in Kiffin’s new contract, per multiple reports, LSU is paying the bonus money because of incentive clauses in his previous deal with Ole Miss. Kiffin coached the Rebels through the regular season (11-1) before leaving for LSU on Nov. 30.
Kiffin already earned $150,000 when Ole Miss made the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, which became $250,000 when the Rebels defeated Tulane 41-10 in the first round without him.
No. 6 seed Ole Miss beat No. 3 Georgia 39-34 in the quarterfinals on Thursday in New Orleans, increasing Kiffin’s bonus to $500,000.
The Rebels face No. 10 Miami in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8, when a victory in that semifinal would advance them to the national championship game and boost the bonus to $750,000.
A national title will be worth a new total of $1 million for Kiffin. The Rebels’ new head coach Pete Golding, the former defensive coordinator, is eligible for the same bonuses, paid by Ole Miss.
Kiffin said he asked Ole Miss chancellor Glenn Boyce and athletic director Keith Carter to keep coaching the Rebels through the CFP even if he accepted another job, but they denied the request while he was considering other posts, according to reports.
The Athletic reported that Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti earned a $700,000 bonus when the No. 1 Hoosiers beat Alabama 38-3 in the quarterfinals in the Rose Bowl on Thursday. A semifinals win over Oregon will boost the bonus to $1 million, and a national title makes the bonus $2 million, per the report.
Oregon’s 23-0 victory over Texas Tech in the quarterfinals got Ducks coach Dan Lanning a $250,000 bonus, rising to $500,000 with a win over Indiana, per The Athletic.
