In a Sugar Bowl classic between two SEC teams fighting for a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals, one of the biggest winners was in Baton Rouge. Financially, at least.<\/p>\n
Lane Kiffin, the former Ole Miss coach who left the program last month for LSU<\/a>, will receive a $500,000 bonus from his new employer thanks to his former team reaching the CFP semifinal via a thrilling 39-34 win over Georgia<\/a>. The bonus is part of an agreement LSU reached with the coach to lure him from Oxford, offering him the same bonuses he would have received for each CFP victory had he staye<\/a>d at Ole Miss<\/a>.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Kiffin had already received a $250,000 bonus after the Rebels defeated Tulane in the first round. If they defeat No. 10 Miami in the next round, Kiffin will add another $750,000 to his tally.<\/p>\n And if they were to win one more for the program\u2019s first title in decades? One of the most bittersweet $1 million payments in the history of sports.<\/p>\n Pete Golding, the defensive coordinator who stayed at Ole Miss to take over as head coach, will receive the same bonuses<\/a>. On his way out, Kiffin insisted on staying to coach the Rebels in the playoff, but the school understandably didn\u2019t want a coach of another SEC team to be running its program during a key part of recruiting season.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n