Lane Kiffin just can’t leave well enough alone

July 9, 2010 by John Stansberry

During the one wild and wooly season he spent as Tennessee’s football coach, I thought Lane Kiffin was more than a little bit touched in the head. Not in the quirky, “He’s so crazy he’s sorta funny way” that Mike Leach is, but more along the lines of the “I wonder how much more of his foot can fit in his mouth” way.

But since Kiffin abandoned Tennessee just in time to assume command of USC’s sinking ship, I’ve become convinced that the guy is 100% bat$hit nuts. The reason for that? Word has come out that USC has tried to pursue a game against Tennessee in the 2011 Chic-Fil-A Kickoff Classic.

Let me get this straight: Kiffin took the Tennessee job, flapped his jaws, embarrassed himself and the program, only realized marginal success on the field, took off for USC and now he wants Tennessee to play his current team? WOW.

To Tennessee’s credit, they and athletic director Mike Hamiltion didn’t take the bait, and I say good for them:

“We’ve got plenty to keep us busy in 2011 already,” Hamilton said. “We’re building our program back, and our schedule is tough enough as it is. The reality of it is if it was Texas or UCLA in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game, we just couldn’t do it in 2011.” (Rivals.com)

Hamilton’s right, Tennessee’s already on the hook to play Cincinnati and North Carolina outside of the SEC in 2011. Also, playing USC in Atlanta would cost the program a seventh home game and the revenue that goes along with it. There are tough schedules and then there are Bataan death march schedules. A rebuilding program like Tennessee really doesn’t need to indulge in the latter.

Kiffin was angling for a couple of things, foremost of all a chance to stick it to the school that was nice enough to hire him back when he was the NFL’s youngest ever has been coach. Having a game in Atlanta would also give USC a nice opportunity to play in front of high school players from the Southeastern recruiting grounds that Kiffin and his staff know so well.

Now, USC will have to find some other distraction during a 2011 season that won’t end in a bowl trip thanks to NCAA sanctions. Maybe Middle Tennessee State would agree to host USC in Red Floyd Stadium so Kiffin could at least show his players what Murfreesboro looks like in the fall.

Part of me wishes Tennessee did agree to the game, because how cool would it be if they showed up and ran the Trojans right out of the Georgia Dome? I’m sure Vol fans would paint the final score on this particular rock: