CFB coach told Lane Kiffin they would rather play Clemson every week than SEC teams
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Lane Kiffin discussed the looming expansion of the College Football Playoff during SEC Media Days.
The Ole Miss head coach has made it clear that the 16 best teams every season, regardless of conference, should make the field. That means no guarantees for the top five conference champions as there are in the current 12-team model.
Kiffin relayed a quote he heard from a conversation from a head coach who had Clemson, the ACC champion, on the schedule in 2024.
“I had a coach that played Clemson last year say, ‘Put Clemson on my schedule every week compared to playing SEC teams, ‘” Kiffin said, according to ESPN’s Chris Low. “But there might be years that also the ACC really does have real teams.”
Kiffin drove home the point that the current model granting the top 5 conference champions a spot could freeze out worthy teams.
“It might change every year, but not where people are just in because [they win the conference championship] or even worse, you have a really good record in the conference, you’re the second team in the conference,” he said. “You didn’t win the championship, but you only lost one or two games, but you didn’t play anybody.”
Notably, Ole Miss was No. 16 in the final CFP poll of 2024 and would have made the field under a “16 best” model Kiffin is proposing. We’ll see if that’s the route the CFP committee takes or if a 5+11 model — favored by other SEC coaches — wins out.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
