With the 2024 college football season looming, it’s clear that LSU’s Brian Kelly is craving more banter with Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin, as he made clear during a press conference in Baton Rouge on Wednesday.

The rivalry between the teams is heating up again. Just days after Lane Kiffin’s comments about the health effects of Coca-Cola went viral, Brian Kelly took the opportunity to praise Smartwater – a brand of Coca-Cola – and Coca-Cola products in general during his press conference, emphasizing their importance as sponsors of LSU athletics.

Brian Kelly’s strange opener

Kelly launched its weekly press conference by extolling the virtues of Coca-Cola products.

“Just a shout out to our sponsor Coke. Smartwater is a great Coke product, minerals, vitamins, it’s just great for you, so refreshing and healthy, and Coke gives you all the products you need depending on what you like, and I love Smartwater,” Kelly said.

The clip is amusing on its own, but Brian Kelly took it to a new level with a unique introduction during his training briefing on Wednesday.

Kelly’s attempt to mock Kiffin was to promote a product he himself endorsed during his press conference. While the clip may be amusing to some, the approach of publicly praising a commercial product will not sit well with everyone.

Lane Kiffin’s bizarre Coke comments before

Before Kelly’s comments, Lane Kiffin had previously provided a funny moment when he addressed the media and made a side note about Coca-Cola.

“Does anyone drink Coke? Do you realize that 130% of your sugar needs for the whole day are in that one bottle? 65 grams of sugar,” he said.

He then confessed that he couldn’t remember the last time he had a Coke. Kiffin then made a joke about one of the reporters drinking a Coke before ending his press conference and leaving.

This season, the rivalry between the two head coaches will go beyond winning a key SEC game and will also include a debate over the merits of Coca-Cola products. Fans will have to wait until mid-October to see the two coaches face off on the field.

There is a lot of traffic between Brian Kelly and Lane Kiffin

This won’t be their first meeting, as they have faced each other before when they were coaches at Notre Dame and USC. During their various coaching stints, Brian Kelly and Lane Kiffin faced each other five times, with Kelly coming out on top by a narrow margin of 3-2.

In 2022, the Tigers overwhelmed Ole Miss as Kelly led LSU to an unexpected SEC Championship appearance. However, the Rebels got revenge last season, scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter to secure a 55-49 victory.

The two coaches will meet again on October 12 when Ole Miss travels to Baton Rouge for a game against LSU on Saturday night.

Just before Week 1, the Tigers are ranked 13th while the Rebels are ranked 6th in the national rankings.

This duel is not only one of the toughest on the Tigers’ schedule, but also because of the ongoing rivalry between the teams’ coaches.

Currently, ESPN’s FPI gives LSU a 62.1 percent chance to win against Ole Miss. The game could play a crucial role in deciding the outcome of the SEC regular season race.