10 things I’m absolutely overreacting to after Rivalry Week in the SEC
By Chris Wright
Published:
I sincerely hope you didn’t waste all day Saturday waiting for Lane Kiffin to make a decision.
Instead, I hope you had 3 big screens going, caught Ohio State having fun in the snow, finally, at Michigan, and marveled at Miami mauling Pitt, Diego Pavia making more magic on Rocky Top and several SEC teams making a case for Playoff inclusion.
Those are among the 10 things I’m absolutely overreacting to after Rivalry Week in and around the SEC.
10. Sorry, Texas, but you don’t have a Playoff case
Like you, I listened to Steve Sarkisian‘s campaign speech after Texas’ impressive victory over Texas A&M.
In laying out Texas’ Playoff case, Sark dropped this nugget: Texas is the first team since 2019 national champion LSU to beat 3 top-10 teams in the regular season. Good stuff. Won’t help, but comparing yourself to the greatest team in college football history obviously was a direct message to the Selection Committee. How dare you leave out the only team to do what LSU did.
If only it were that simple, right?
Texas’ problem is the rest of its resume, most obviously those 3 losses. Playoff history is largely irrelevant when discussing 3-loss teams because this is just the 2nd year with 12 teams — so it’s really just the 2nd year a 3-loss team has seriously been in the mix.
Sark, of course, had an answer for that, too, saying if Texas had played, say, Old Dominion like Indiana did instead of at Ohio State in Week 1, the Longhorns would be 10-2 and there would be no debate.
Fair point, but the Ohio State loss isn’t the Longhorns’ problem, either. Nor is the blowout loss at Georgia.
Texas’ Playoff problem is that disastrous loss at Florida. Sark tried to explain that away, too. Without mentioning Notre Dame’s name, he casually reminded folks that last year’s national runner-up lost to Northern Illinois. What he failed to mention is the fact that was Notre Dame’s only loss last season.
Sarkisian closed by saying “it would be a disservice to college football” if Texas didn’t make the Playoff.
I disagree. It would be a disservice to pick and choose what games matter and what games don’t.
Texas had every opportunity to make the Playoff. It didn’t take advantage.
9. Disservice to college football? A broken replay review system
College football doesn’t need to “fix” its replay system.
It merely needs to adopt the ACC’s method of full transparency. If the Big Ten had it, we wouldn’t all be arguing — still — about whether Jeremiah Smith scored a touchdown or fumbled out of bounds for a touchback.
The replays made it fairly obvious that Smith lost control and stepped out of bounds. That’s how Joel Klatt saw it. That’s how FOX rules analyst Mike Pereira saw it. Heck, that’s how most of America outside of Columbus, Ohio, saw it.
That’s not how the Big Ten replay review officials saw it, however. They stayed with the call on the field, giving Smith a TD and Ohio State a lead. At the time, it was a key play not only in the game, but maybe the season.
The issue, again, isn’t the result. It’s the process. In the ACC, we would have heard the command center discuss the timing, the angles, the rule and, in unison, reaching a decision before relaying that to the umpire. In the B1G, all we got was Klatt and Pereira dissecting every angle of the play, zeroing in on Smith’s foot and coming to the conclusion that it was a touchback.
I hate that touchback rule, by the way. I think it’s the stupidest rule in college football — and the only time a fumble out of bounds results in a turnover. But I hate the lack of transparency from replay officials even more.
Playoff bids literally are at stake.
The fix is so simple, a basketball conference figured it out.
8. No, Lane, you can’t have it both ways
For the past month, I’ve gone back and forth on whether Ole Miss should allow Lane Kiffin to coach the Rebels if and when he decides to take the LSU job.
Probably a week or so ago, I had mostly settled on allowing the team captains to decide who they want leading the charge. It’s their team, their time, their opportunity to create history. Why should an adult decide their future?
Now? After watching this thing play out in real time for an entire week and overshadow a damn fine Rivalry Saturday, I’ve turned the page.
This has been terrible for everybody involved with Ole Miss football. Don’t blame the calendar, either. That’s a weak excuse. You’re either all-in or you’re not.
Clearly, Kiffin is not. Worse, he has known that for weeks. Reports swirled all day Saturday about long meetings in which Kiffin expressed his desire to coach the Rebels’ Playoff run. He wants to bask in the glory of a historic Playoff run with the team he built, and bolt the nano-second that dream run ends?
No.
Planes reportedly are landing Sunday, heading back to LSU with Kiffin on board. Team meetings reportedly are set for this morning.
If you’re an Ole Miss fan, I can’t blame if you say: good riddance.
Get out. And stay out.
7. Predicting the 7 at-large bids
Last season, 3 Power Conference runners-up made the Playoff. That’s probably not happening again. Here’s how I see the at-large bids being distributed after the regular season ended Saturday:
ACC: Miami.
Big Ten: Big Ten runner-up, Oregon.
Big 12: The Big 12 runner-up — but only if it’s Texas Tech.
SEC: SEC runner-up (see below), Texas A&M and Ole Miss.
Independent: Notre Dame.
Already, that’s 8 teams for 7 spots if Texas Tech loses the Big 12 Championship Game. If Tech wins, the Big 12 should be a 1-bid league.
This scenario gives the SEC 4 Playoff bids — and 3 angry fan bases from Vanderbilt, Oklahoma and Texas. (And possibly Alabama, should the Tide suffer their 3rd loss in the SEC title game.) Could the Committee choose 1 of those 3 over, say, Miami? Of course it could. But the Canes just picked up their 4th win of the season against a team ranked at kickoff, blasting Pitt by 31. The Canes’ resume, of course, includes a win against Notre Dame. They belong.
What about Alabama? The Tide already are behind Oklahoma in the Playoff rankings. They also lost to Oklahoma, at home. Beating Auburn was clutch, but they’re only in the SEC Championship Game because of a tiebreaker. If they lose the SEC title game, it’s absolutely fair for the Committee to give Oklahoma (or Vandy) that at-large bid and keep the 3-loss Tide team at home. It wouldn’t be popular, of course, but it would be fairer than, saying making the Tide the 5th Playoff team over a Miami with a better resume.
Vanderbilt is the team that deserves our support. In addition to being a great story, the ‘Dores delivered one of the strongest closing arguments of Rivalry Week, absolutely pounding Tennessee on Rocky Top.
I’ve said all season that the SEC deserves 5 Playoff teams, but I’ll be shocked if the Committee actually allows it.
Brace yourself: Somebody’s about to get hosed.
6. Call of the Week
I’ve overreacted plenty to Bad Kalen DeBoer, so it’s only fair to acknowledge and praise his gutsy 4th-and-2 call that won the Iron Bowl on Saturday night and sent Alabama to the SEC Championship Game.
Under normal circumstances, a call like that wouldn’t be considered all that daring. There was still plenty of time on the clock, so, worst-case scenario, a bad Auburn offense would have taken over at its 6-yard line and Bama likely would have forced a quick punt and had another chance to walk it off.
What made DeBoer’s call so daring is that, to that point, Ty Simpson had been downright dreadful. Nobody would have blinked or questioned DeBoer had he decided to kick a short field goal for a 23-20 lead and trust the defense to do its part.
“I figured it was 29 yards shorter than the last time we needed a touchdown here,” DeBoer quipped afterward, alluding to Jalen Milroe’s walk-off TD throw to Isaiah Bond to win the 2023 Iron Bowl.
DeBoer rolled the dice and Bama executed a perfect design against man coverage as Simpson hit Isaiah Horton on a short crossing route for a 6-yard TD. It was their 3rd TD connection of the night — a night Simpson finished just 19-for-35 for 122 yards. Yes, that’s an anemic, service academy level 3.5 yards per attempt.
Those details didn’t matter Saturday night and won’t matter years from now, when DeBoer’s decision no doubt is included when discussing the greatest moments in Iron Bowl history.
5. Predicting the 5 automatic bids
American: Tulane. Will Tulane allow Jon Sumrall to coach this run? Stay tuned.
ACC: Virginia. In case you missed it, SMU blew its chance to play for the title when it lost at Cal. Virginia is a great story, recovering from unthinkable tragedy to make a Playoff run and already has beaten Duke once. Funny thing, though: Miami still is the best team in the ACC — and might be the ACC’s only bid if Duke wins the title and JMU and the American champion are ranked higher. I don’t think Duke has a chance, but it would be hysterical if that scenario played out.
Big Ten: Ohio State. There’s just too much talent for Indiana to handle.
Big 12: Texas Tech. The Red Raiders have been the class of the league all season. For the SEC’s sake, they better hope it stays that way because the last thing the SEC needs is Texas Tech stealing an at-large bid. BYU will have an interesting case, though, if its only 2 losses are to Texas Tech.
SEC: Georgia. Sorry, Alabama. Nobody beats Kirby Smart 3 times in a row. Well, nobody except Nick Saban.
4. Florida, this search shows how far you’ve fallen
Despite the full-court press, I never saw Lane Kiffin going to Florida, but the Gators desperately pushed on, banking on their history to win the day.
I’m not sure who needs to hear this, but Florida hasn’t won the day with a coaching search since Urban Meyer left. Maybe with Dan Mullen, but even that ended poorly.
Maybe now, finally, when Florida’s search ends with another Group of 5 coach, the Gators can look inward and finally start to figure out why they aren’t seen as a destination job, any more than half a dozen other mid-level SEC programs.
That’s not me saying that, Gator Nation. That’s Power Conference coaches saying that by repeatedly saying no to the Gators.
3. Updating my Heisman ballot
I still believe Jeremiah Smith is the best college football player in 2025 — which he proved again the one time Michigan dared to cover him with 1 defender.
I still believe Diego Pavia is the Most Valuable Player in college football — which he proved again by ravaging Tennessee with his arm (268 yards, 1 TD), legs (165 yards, 1 TD) and heart. Saturday, he not only led Vandy’s blowout win for a historic 10th win this season, he broke Vandy’s single-season passing record in the process. Pavia has 3,192 yards and counting as Vandy enters the postseason.
And I still believe Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is the best combination of both in the country. I’ve encouraged SEC fans to watch Love — who is the driving force for the Irish’s deserved Playoff push. I know you missed it, but Love was injured in Notre Dame’s romp at Stanford late Saturday night. Good news, though: He’s fine.
Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza continues to lead the Heisman race, but he was just so-so in the finale against Purdue and, honestly, the caliber of competition pales in comparison to every other contender.
Pavia clearly is the people’s choice, but Vandy will be idle when votes are cast following Championship Weekend. Love will be, too.
Smith will prove on the biggest stage that he’s the most unstoppable force in college football.
2. Guess which coach got fired?
I usually find Hiring/Firing SZN humorous, often without reason and completely lacking common standards.
What works at one place gets you fired early at another.
We saw that again this year in the SEC, where 4 coaches have been fired and several extended.
Care to guess which coach was fired and which coach was extended?
Coach A went 34-14, 20-11 in the SEC and was fired.
Coach B is 35-16, 18-14 in the SEC and was extended through 2031.
Coach A is Brian Kelly. Coach B is Eli Drinkwitz.
Make it make sense, because neither decision made any sense.
1. Long live Rivalry Week …
It might mean more in the SEC, but it means a lot there, too.
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
