After the College Football Playoff rankings were released last week, college football columnist Dan Wolken of Yahoo Sports speculated that Lane Kiffin leaving Ole Miss in the midst of its incredible season might leave the Rebels on the outside looking in.
“The question of the day is whether Ole Miss would do something to force the issue. Is there truly a hard deadline or ultimatum? We don’t know for sure, but the idea Kiffin could coach against Mississippi State next week and announce he’s taking either LSU or Florida shortly after is clearly one of the scenarios Ole Miss has gamed out in recent days,” Wolken said.
“In that situation, it’s hard to imagine Kiffin being allowed to coach the Rebels in the CFP. And yet, it would be an abdication of responsibility for Ole Miss officials not to consider whether a messy Kiffin departure in the next couple weeks would give the committee a reason to leave them out of the playoff altogether.”
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Wolken likened the situation to Florida State being left out of the College Football Playoff after finishing the season as a 13-0 conference champion…and it appears the College Football Playoff committee is ready to play hard ball with the Rebels.
On Tuesday, Nov. 25 the playoff committee moved the Oregon Ducks to No. 6 and moved Ole Miss back to No. 7 following the Rebels’ bye week.
Is this an indication of the playoff committee considering Kiffin’s future with the team or simply giving Oregon credit for its 42-27 victory over then-No. 15 USC? Either way it’s a brutal blow for the Rebels, who might not have a chance to win the SEC to improve their standing in the final rankings.
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