By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
***centralgasports@gmail.com***

Dear Lane,

Hurry up and say on Wednesday that you’re staying, so that dominates the holiday story arc and we don’t have to listen to all this other crap.

Don’t be crappy, Lane. Don’t be the Lane everybody expects you to be. Don’t be the Lane of up to a few years ago.

Be a man of substance, of common sense, of independence, of appreciation.

OK, well, Lane Kiffin has been hearing such pleas for a week or so now, and this being America in 2025, it’s a mighty safe bet that none of it matters.

If it did, he’d have already told us that he was staying at Mississippi, that he was thankful for a great situation, for being an hour from Memphis barbque, that he’s at a place where he can troll everybody in the SEC because he can beat everybody in the SEC, and where he can win a national championship.

Memo to all the idiots – “media”, media, and civilians – hemhawing about ranking jobs and what’s a better job and where can you win easier and all that other garbage that’s a sign of brain deficiency.

The best job is the one with the least mismanagement – I can’t use that word without a “mis” prefix anymore – that hires the right coach who friggin’ wins, and has the least meddling (nudging Auburn here).

Mississippi is winning more right now than Florida, Florida State, Miami, Tennessee, LSU, Notre Dame, Southern Cal, Oklahoma, Texas, Michigan, Clemson, Penn State, and others with some shade of blue in their blood.

Monday Morning Quarterback, 2025

🏈 Nov. 17: There’s a plug or 10 at Flowery Branch that need to be pulled, including in the executive office; Surprises, Loughdmouthings
🏈 Nov. 10: Worry not about coaching candidates, a waste for a month or more; Loughdmouthings

🏈 Nov. 3: Whoopdeo do, the first college rankings are out, which means a big “soooo what”; Good stat stuff/surprises; Loughdmouthings
🏈 Oct. 27: Will this Atlanta turkey of a season have a coaching change by Thanksgiving?; Bears are ballin’ at Mercer; Loughdmouthings
🏈 Oct. 20: What do we know about our main teams in Georgia, near and far? Well, it’s complicated, and entertaining; Surprises, Loughdmouthings (a readable podcast, OK?) galore
🏈 Oct. 13: Sit down, get some coffee, and let’s revisit the Palooza on the Plains, because it must be done; Surprises, Loughdmouthings
🏈 Oct. 6: Nobody knows who’s in the CFP, nobody, so get ready; Surprises, Loughdmouthings (are loaded up, from ball dropping, high schools, fibbing …)
🏈 Sept. 28: Revisiting the Dawgs, Jackets, and Falcons (“oh my”, times 3); Surprises galore; West Laurens’ Cummings; Loughdmouthings: Mercer, screamers, Class A mutes, bummer)
🏈Sept 22: The Falcons, um, well, see, you can, …nope, no idea; Surprises; Loughdmouthings galore (Tech unis, SEC schedule, UAB twit, repping Dodge County, more)
🏈 Sept. 15: A good Saturday on campus for Peach State teams; Stat stuff, surprises; Loughdmouthings galore
🏈 Sept 8: Atlanta again puts the F in … Falconing, but there’s progress even in that; Surprises; Loughdmouthings galore
🏈 Sept. 1: Saturdays will never be the same without Lee Corso; Loughdmouthings galore
🏈 Aug. 25: Southwest and Northeast lost their cool, and then people done lost their minds; Surprises, Loughdmouthings
🏈Aug. 18: Teams in transition deserve patience from the peanut gallery; Surprises; Loughdmouthings

The reality is that only Notre Dame on that list has any remote chance at winning a national title this year, and it’s behind Mississippi. Two jobs in Utah are better than almost every job right now in Florida. Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech are better than

So, because of the head coach, his staff, and administration, Mississippi is a better job than all of those.

Coaches like challenges, so staying put and trying to sustain success is harder now than five years ago, and it’s harder to rebuild a Florida or rejuvenate an LSU. The transfer portal remains an unknown, more than high school recruiting. It’s not the magic duct tape “media” portrays.

Kiffin can stay challenged at Mississippi.

For one, he has yet to play for an SEC championship, let alone win one.

For two, he has yet to make the two-year-old 12-team playoff – dear “media”, please provide context when blathering about “hasn’t made the playoffs” when the bigger field is so young – though that’ll change this year.

For a third, he’s only made on “big” bowl at Mississippi, the Sugar in 2021, a loss.

For another, 9 mil a year is pretty good. Piece of mind is worth more than the salary. Beating coaches who make more sure does make for creative social media observations, and Kiffin won’t be much fun for awhile at LSU or Florida.

As has been noted here before, the money game is more for the ego of agents than anything else, and if Jimmy Sexton is your agent, well, there’s the college posterchild.

The greed just means more.

The truth is that 99 percent of all power 4 coaches have – like so many non-coaches – have sustained major growth in their greed genes, as well as they hypocritical genes. They’ve not kept up with civilians as far as the petty and hateful genes, thankfully.

But they can say some astonishing crap with a straight face these days, with offensive contracts and clauses and demands and extortion. Good thing noses don’t grow, or we’d be ducking with almost every conversation or press conference.

Every program will survive their departure, whether they get a lot of money to go or not.

Kiffin holding Mississippi hostage is aggravating as hell, unless he’s told the players he’s staying and they shouldn’t say anything and he’s playing a game, and shows as much with a timely announcement and social media fun.

Otherwise, I’m not sure he shouldn’t be fired today. Forget the Egg Bowl, this is ditching a legitimate candidate to reach the semifinals.

There was hope that Kiffin had learn appreciation after all he’s been through, self-inflicted and otherwise. One might think that after the Raiders and Vols and Trojans and Tide that Kiffin might appreciate stability.

And mess with conventional wisdom and speculation and do the opposite.

LSU is an absolute cluster. Louisiana has always been “special”/special, a little bit more than its neighbors, and has always operated on a different frequency.

Florida is behind, Lord, even Florida State, plus Miami, and plenty of schools are plucking away at Gator prospects, “committed” or not.

The Rebels are about on par right now with Georgia and Alabama. How about the challenge of getting past one of them, if not both?

The world of college football is a world where Indiana, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Mississippi, Oregon, BYU, and Utah are all ahead of Miami, Southern Cal, Texas, Michigan, and Tennessee. Houston, Tulane, and Arizona State are better than Florida, Florida State, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Nebraska, Auburn, etc.

The best job is the one with the best plan, and the right coach. Not every fit is a good fit.

Dear Lane, you’re a good fit with Mississippi for awhile. Stay put, so you can be different and we can keep liking you.

We’d like a good surprise for a change.

Surprises

All went as expected, basically, in the three Central Georgia GIAA state title games, although Brentwood dominating the second half so much was a little bit of a surprise.

John Milledge and Stratford in close games was on target.

Go back and look at the video of Brentwood and Stratford, and look in the background. The joy on faces, pure joy, is just outstanding. Particularly funny is the family of Stratford head coach Paul Carroll photobombing the bejeebers out of him at 6:15.

Coin-flipped for three days on the Fitzgerald-Dublin prediction before taking the Irish. Didn’t see them not really being in the game. Thought Jasper County was OK with the second-round stage, but there was a warning here that Pepperell was better than 7-4.

Nope, sure didn’t see Hawkinsville falling 56-0. And, well, there was the note of Peach County struggling in the Savannah area, and the Trojans did again.

You read here where Houston County would challenge Rome and Bleckley County would battle Worth County. Talk about a heartbreaker for the Royals, losing on a buzzer-beating field goal.

As for the unpredictability: About 12 percent of the second-round games had margins of 35 points or more, including 64-0, two 56-0s, 49-0, 50-7, among others.

Loughdmouthings

Wow.

College “media” has more homers than the derby at the all-star game, and there’s a butt-hurt UGA faction that was offended that Sanford Stadium wasn’t shoulder-to-shoulder full for Charlotte.

A 1-9 team. On the Saturday that starts the Thanksgiving holiday. A week before Clean Old-Fashioned Hate.

It’s like so much of the “media” is trying to get invited to a holiday party at the home of a head coach or big-money booster. Granted, nothing is bad as the media faction of the Colorado Cult, more so the national people, but the college “media” homerism is pretty brutal, and consistent and dances back and forth on the line of professionalism.

People have lives, and there are times – shocking, yes – that they may venture away from college football every so often. Even in the South.

Why pressboxers are so offended by that – pull their tickets? Really, grampa? Get off your lawn and get in those seats? - is pretty absurd. …

A needed rerun: Any time – like the present – is a good time for high school coaches still playing to take time and check their MaxPreps roster and stats (except those keeping the success of their kids a secret, as “strategy”).

Media will consult MaxPreps, hoping – not assuming, anymore – that the information is accurate and updated.

Such details can’t be too much to ask, can they? (That’s a rhetorical question). …

As for attendance at high school games, it remains disappointing in a lot of places, a lot of successful places. Certain playoff games last Friday should’ve been in front of at least an 80 percent full home side, but looked more like a September game against a 3-win team.

And title games down the road, eh, seems like should’ve been more folks for one of those.

There are only so many game nights, in a season and in a lifetime. …

We know that Spoon Risper is done at Westside. And now, unfortunately, Jarrett Laws is out at Central.

There have been assorted staffing tweaks – notable and not-so-notable – at private and public schools throughout the season.

Pause to scratch one’s chin and look off into the distance with a pondering expression.

Of the four dozen programs in The Sports Report’s coverage area – which is alone in Central Georgia in not changing its coverage area and teams based on the season, convenience, or communication – the current over/under in coaching changes is five, excluding Risper and Laws.

There’s one very specific one – speculative, from this spot – for a variety of reasons. If and when the “very specific one” happens, well, there’s your code, and you’ll be alerted if it happens. Logical to me, will be a surprise to those not paying attention.

And no, no, no, no, those making decisions should not in any form or fashion employ any thought process that includes, let alone prioritizes “Bibb County connections” or “knows Macon” or absolutely anything like that.

That’s a whole ‘nother discussion.

Note: Most of the moves will be firings, while worded other ways. Bottom line: If a coach wanted to return and isn’t returning, they were fired. Why folks can’t just say that is notable.

Some will make sense, some will be justifiable, and some will be the result of a pudding-brained superintendent or principal or booster club boss and the wrong people on a school board.

The only guarantee is that the latter will be the reason for at least one or two moves.

What they wrote

“Only Colorado coach Deion Sanders could compare the impatience in college football to Brazilian butt lifts.

“When asked about all of the coaching firings and buyouts, Coach Prime replied: “Well, there’s no more patience in this world. Everyone wants the quick fix, the quick things. You got mail-order brides, right? You can get married right away. You can get a BBL (Brazilian Butt Lift). You can come in (to the clinic) flat as I don’t know what and leave thick as a Snicker. Ain’t nobody got no patience no more.”

“Unfortunately, with the way Deion’s team is playing, BBL doesn’t stand for Brazilian Butt Lift in Boulder, it stands for Big Blowout Loss.”

- Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel