Lane Kiffin uses Georgia’s SEC title win as last-minute CFP pitch for Ole Miss

Lane Kiffin hopes that Georgia’s win over Texas in the SEC Championship Game can help Ole Miss’s slim chances of reaching the College Football Playoff.

The Rebels beat the Bulldogs 28-10 to improve to 8-2 in what was widely regarded as Kiffin’s most important win as a head coach. Two weeks later, though, they suffered a 24-17 upset loss at Florida before beating Mississippi State 26-14 in the Egg Bowl to wrap up the regular season.

However, the second-to-last Playoff rankings released on Tuesday had the Rebels ranked No. 13, meanigng they’d be one of the first teams out of the field. Kiffin ripped the Playoff committee for their exclusion, accusing them of “(trying to) make the ACC feel relevant” at the expense of his team while pointing to Miami as an example.

On Saturday, Kiffin’s campaigning continued, complimenting Georgia for their win while noting that his team beat the Bulldogs earlier in the season:

Hard to beat the Georgia Bulldogs. They get everyone’s best shot and just win.
Congrats @GeorgiaFootball
57-4 since 2020

3- losses to Alabama
1- loss to Ole Miss@CFBPlayoff

— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) December 8, 2024

Will the Rebels be among the teams to get into the Playoff field as an at-large entry? It probably won’t happen, but at least Kiffin can’t say he tried his best to lobby for his team’s inclusion until the very end.

Meanwhile, the final College Football Playoff rankings will be unveiled Sunday starting at noon ET.

Sydney Hunte

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.