Lane Kiffin says he's not 'waiting by the phone' for the Tennessee job

Florida Atlantic is 9-3 in its first season under Lane Kiffin. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash, File)
Florida Atlantic is 9-3 in its first season under Lane Kiffin. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash, File)

After Tennessee’s attempted hire of Greg Schiano blew up on Sunday, CBS Sports columnist Dennis Dodd suggested UT go after a familiar face: Lane Kiffin.

Kiffin, now the coach at Florida Atlantic after a circuitous journey through the coaching ranks, famously spent one season at Tennessee before a quick exit to take the USC job. Kiffin has FAU in the Conference USA championship game in just his first season.

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Would Kiffin leave sunny Boca Raton to return to Knoxville?

Based on a tweet from Kiffin Monday morning, it doesn’t seem that way:

Oh, Lane.

And to avoid any confusion, “As Tennessee finds itself engulfed in flames, Lane Kiffin waits by his phone” is the title of Dodd’s column. As fitting as it may be, the imagery of the UT campus on fire did not come from the brain of Kiffin. Instead, he is “getting (FAU) ready to win its 9th straight” game against North Texas.

Kiffin also made sure to invite Dodd to the game, which will take place Saturday at FAU Stadium.

As Kiffin noted, his team has won eight games in a row. The Owls, after a 1-3 start in the non-conference, went undefeated in Conference USA play. With a win over North Texas (9-3, 7-1 C-USA), Florida Atlantic can win its first-ever C-USA title and reach 10 wins for the first time as an FBS program. FAU has one other conference championship. The Owls won the Sun Belt in 2007.

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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!