Lane Kiffin is finally coming to the Swamp, but not for the reason the Gators fan would like him to. Rather than to be Billy Napier’s replacement, the once fan-favorite head coach replacement is visiting Florida to take on Napier’s Gators this Saturday.
Chances are the crowd might still cheer louder for Kiffin, but Napier has the perfect chance to make a crowd-silencing comeback.
If Napier wins this highly-anticipated clash against Kiffin in front of his home crowd, the noise of replacing him with Kiffin and questions surrounding his vote of confidence will be utterly silenced; making for an almost cinematic comeback this season.
“We have to have a little bit of a playoff mindset ourselves,” Napier said (h/t Orlando Sentinel). “Part of being a good team and trying to become a championship contender is you have to be strong at home. You have to win those.”
Napier has an edge. He knows a thing or two about Kiffin from their Tuscaloosa days when they worked under Nick Saban alongside Kirby Smart and Dan Lanning from 2014-16 as assistants. However, he can hardly predict the cards that would be played against them by the 8-2 Rebels on Saturday.
Billy Napier’s Gators up against the odds in Ole Miss-Florida matchup
ESPN’s Football Power Index’s Week 13 slate gives the rebels a 77.8% chance to emerge victorious against Florida. Their chances significantly surged after they beat Georgia last week.
However, Florida upsetting LSU on the same day can’t be overlooked too.
While the Rebels’ playoff berth is almost locked, a loss to Florida may cost them the hard-fought battle this season. There is no room for error for Kiffin, and there is a golden chance to silence the replacement taunts for Napier at stake.
