Following a pivotal 34-26 road win versus Oklahoma on Saturday, Ole Miss fans can taste a long-awaited College Football Playoff berth. Oxford knows better than to celebrate too early, with South Carolina, Florida and Mississippi State all relishing the opportunity to tarnish the Rebels' campaign, but this is a momentous time in the program's history. And it is one that could make head coach Lane Kiffin an extremely popular man this winter.

One of the biggest personalities in the sport finds himself inevitably linked to the LSU and Florida vacancies. Following the respective firings of Brian Kelly and Billy Napier, both teams are surely itching to bring in a credible candidate who has a track record of rejuvenating other prominent programs. Kiffin, by his own admission, has undergone significant growth professionally and personally in The Hospitality State.

He is a king in Ole Miss, primed to lead the team to 10 or more wins in three consecutive seasons for the first time ever. But money talks. Or does it? Kiffin insists that the stacks of green the Tigers and Gators can offer will not factor into decisions about his coaching future.

“I have never made a decision based off money, nor will I,” he told “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday. “I’ve seen too many examples in life where money does not buy happiness. So I’m never going to make a decision off of money, nor do I care about it. {My agent} Jimmy Sexton gets really mad when I say that.”

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This is the signature sound bite that Ole Miss football fans have come to cherish during the Lane Kiffin era, packing a potent mixture of heart and humor. The idea of that wit and charm crossing into Death Valley or The Swamp is quite difficult to comprehend right now. In just six years, the man has become an Oxford institution. If his team can stay the course during the next month, he will have attained the most significant accomplishment of his coaching career.

And the Rebels will be riding higher than they have in several decades. Therefore, the last thing locals want to do is read rumors about Kiffin potentially leaving for another job. The focus is firmly on making history. Entertaining hypothetical scenarios will only drive everyone mad. Ole Miss (7-1) must ignore the noise as best as possible and gear up for Saturday's home matchup against South Carolina (3-5).