STARKVILLE — The 124-year-old football rivalry between Ole Miss and Mississippi State has a new subplot that could very well overshadow what is a high-stakes game in its own right.

The sixth-ranked Rebels (10-1, 6-1 SEC, No. 7 CFP) could lock up a spot in the College Football Playoff with a victory Friday over the Bulldogs (5-6, 1-6) in the Egg Bowl — only to have their celebration muted if coach Lane Kiffin announces after the game that he has decided to leave the program for another suitor.

During the past two weeks, Kiffin family members have traveled from Oxford to both Gainesville, Florida, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, while Ole Miss has sought to fend off efforts by Florida and LSU to lure away their coach.

Kiffin and Mississippi athletics director Keith Carter had a meeting last F

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