College football's most-wanted coach might ditch his team before it can play for a national title.

Lane Kiffin has Ole Miss primed for a championship run, but he may leave the Rebels for a traditional power like LSU or Florida first.

Ole Miss enters the final weeks of the college football season in the mix to win a national championship. Yet as soon as Saturday, before the College Football Playoff even begins, it could also lose its coach.

When the Rebels, who are 10-1 and ranked No. 6 in the latest playoff rankings, face rival Mississippi State on Friday, their fans could be excused for thinking more about two other Southeastern Conference opponents. After having fired their coaches earlier this season, LSU and Florida have spent recent weeks wooing Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin.

LSU officials "have discussed a seven-year, incentive-laden deal worth at least $90 million," Yahoo reported recently, in addition to commitments to spend around $25 million more on building a roster. The salary could climb toward $100 million over seven years, The Athletic reported. Those figures could make Kiffin, who earns $9 million annually, among the highest-paid coaches in the sport and perhaps rank at the top. Florida and Ole Miss have reportedly matched such an offer.

Would a coach really choose to leave a team that has a chance to play for a national championship so late in a season? That answer will be known Saturday, according to Mississippi's athletic director, Keith Carter, who posted Friday on X that he, Kiffin and the university's chancellor had met.

"Coach Kiffin and I have had many pointed and positive conversations regarding his future at Ole Miss," Carter wrote. "Despite the outside noise, Coach Kiffin is focused on preparing our team for the Egg Bowl, and together, we want to ensure that our players and coaches can concentrate fully on next Friday's game.