Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss return comes with a ruthless goal

When Lane Kiffin left Oxford in January, he became the college football's most polarizing figure. Ole Miss was in the rearview mirror long before he made his announcement. He tried to stay and coach in the College Football Playoff, which at the time seemed odd.

Kiffin took weeks telling the rest of the nation he was staying to build the program at Ole Miss. Meanwhile, he was negotiating his way out. Even after telling Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter he was heading to LSU, there was still a thought in the back of his mind that he would try to win a national championship at Ole Miss. Carter said, "No way." And Rebels fans chased Kiffin all the way to the tarmac.

Now, eight months later, Kiffin returns seeking revenge. He took the situation personal after not being about to coach Ole Miss in the Playoff and it shows.

Kiffin will forever be known as the coach who led Ole Miss football to their best season in school history. But for many, that comes with an asterisk. He never got to finish the season with the Rebels, and will likely be remembered as the one who gave up early. LSU wasn't willing to wait, and Ole Miss wanted no part in Kiffin two-timing both SEC programs.

Kiffin allowed the Ole Miss assistant coaches who were migrating to LSU to stay behind and help Pete Golding try to win a championship. The Rebels fell short, but the nation rallied behind them after Kiffin left. There's no way in the world Kiffin doesn't take the situation personally.

Now the stage is set for an early season showdown between Kiffin's past and present. The team he built from scratch and another he helped buy from the transfer portal. When Kiffin steps foot onto the field at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday night, the tension will hit an all-time high.

Kiffin isn't strutting into Oxford to try and pick up a win, this is much deeper for him.

"(Kiffin) doesn’t just want to beat these guys. He wants to embarrass them, and he wants the heat, wants every bit of it," an LSU source told On3's Chris Low this week.

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Most coaches would be content with a win any way they can get it. Kiffin isn't most coaches. He's cut from a much different cloth, and isn't afraid to embrace the role of villain. While some revere him, others loathe his arrogance and how he conducts himself. Nobody should hate him for wanting a better opportunity. However, how he went about it all is why this game between the Tigers and Rebels is must-see TV.

Anyone who sides with Ole Miss wants to see Kiffin in shock after this one. As we know now, the feeling is mutual. Kiffin didn't make the trip to play nice, he's there to settle a score and has unfinished business to tend to.

If the stakes are truly higher in Baton Rouge, LSU can't afford to lose this early in the season. Especially to an Ole Miss team Kiffin knows inside and out. It would be a bad look for what LSU is trying to do this year.

The long-awaited game between Ole Miss and LSU is finally here. No more pregame chatter and back and forth between both sides. It's time to lay it all on the line. Kickoff is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC. 

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