Joel Klatt says Ole Miss can secure its spot in CFP with win over Florida
By Jacob Moss
Published:
The seventh-ranked Ole Miss Rebels are set for a pivotal late-season SEC matchup at home against the Florida Gators in a game that has several intriguing story lines baked into it.
The speculation regarding Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin and whether or not he will leave Oxford to become the next head coach for the Gators is naturally going to be a massive talking point on Saturday, but the Rebels also have a very good shot at securing their spot in the College Football Playoff with a win.
Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt broke down the importance of this game for the Rebels’ Playoff chances on a recent episode of The Joel Klatt Show, saying that a win would lock up their spot in the CFP.
“Ole Miss has got to handle Florida,” Klatt said. “Obviously, they were unable to do that a year ago in The Swamp and because of that Ole Miss did not get into the College Football Playoff.”
Klatt also mentioned the Kiffin to Florida speculation as well, and questioned how big a distraction that could end up being for the Rebels, leading into what could be their biggest game of the season.
“There is some question about where is Lane Kiffin going to coach,” Klatt said. “Is it going to be Florida? This becomes kind of the Lane Kiffin Bowl. Is he going to be meeting with the Florida brass the night before the (game)? I mean, who knows? How distracted is Ole Miss? I don’t know. But if they win the game, I … not only like their chances, I think they’re almost guaranteed a spot in the Playoff.”
