Lane Kiffin's exit from Ole Miss on Sunday triggered a guessing game at sportsbooks, with oddsmakers trying to figure out how much to downgrade the Rebels without the mercurial coach heading into the College Football Playoff.
Opinions varied, but the consensus range among four oddsmakers was that Kiffin was worth upwards of four points.
«We're guessing,» said Chris Bennett, sportsbook director at Circa in Las Vegas, «but we definitely think Lane Kiffin's presence is significant for the Ole Miss team rating.»
The Rebels were 25-1 to win the national championship before Kiffin announced he would be taking a job at LSU and would not coach Ole Miss in the playoff. The Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas dropped the Rebels' title odds to 40-1 on Sunday after the news was made official.
«The challenge now is understanding the full extent of the impact his departure will have,» Joey Feazel, who oversees football odds for Caesars Sportsbook, told ESPN. «It could be minimal or it could be significant depending on which personnel and staff follow him out the door. The point spread will certainly be affected, but the bigger shift may come in offensive efficiency. With a defensive-minded coach likely taking the reins, expect the total to trend lower.»
Veteran Las Vegas oddsmaker Chris Andrews was on the low end and wasn't planning to adjust his power ratings on Ole Miss much with Kiffin departing, «assuming someone on the staff takes the reins… 1-1.5 points at most.»
«Closer to one unless the market dictates otherwise,» Andrews, the sportsbook director at the South Point, told ESPN.
Ed Salmons, a Las Vegas oddsmaker for 40-plus years, had seven teams above Ole Miss in his power ratings ahead of Kiffin's departure. He was planning to
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