Early last week, LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry sent Lane Kiffin a message. Ole Miss had been jumped by Oregon in the College Football Playoff rankings even though it had not played a game the weekend before, and Ausberry wanted to tease him a little bit. What he said encapsulated the way LSU sold Kiffin on the job.

“Teams don’t jump LSU,” Ausberry said.

LSU finalized the hire a few days later, and Kiffin was introduced as the new head coach Monday afternoon inside a club level overlooking Tiger Stadium. When Kiffin walked into the room, school officials, donors and other prominent figures gave him a standing ovation. A photoshopped picture of Kiffin wearing an LSU visor filled screens throughout the stadium.

The news conference took place the day after Kiffin left an Ole Mi

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