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Lane Kiffin Rips CFP After Ole Miss' No. 13 Bracket Ranking: 'Do You Actually Watch'

Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerX.com LogoFeatured Columnist IVDecember 4, 2024

FAYETTEVILLE, AR - NOVEMBER 02:  Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin during the college football game between the Mississippi Rebels and Arkansas Razorbacks on November 2, 2024, at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (Photo by Andy Altenburger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Andy Altenburger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin called out the College Football Playoff selection committee after the Rebels were 13th in the newest CFP rankings.

Kiffin questioned whether the committee members "actually watch the quality of players, teams, and road environments" and "just try and make the ACC feel relevant."

Lane Kiffin @Lane_Kiffin

You guys actually meet for days and come up with these rankings?? <a href="https://twitter.com/CFBPlayoff?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CFBPlayoff</a> Do you actually watch the quality of players, teams, and road environments (we played in one of yours this year 💤) or just try and make the ACC feel relevant ?? Btw one of your teams paid us not to… <a href="https://t.co/2WZucjAQSX">https://t.co/2WZucjAQSX</a>

A pro-ACC bias from the committee might be news to the ACC.

This is the conference whose unbeaten champion couldn't crack the top four in 2023. Florida State is also the only full ACC member other than Clemson to qualify for the playoff since its inception.

Not to mention, Kiffin is getting frustrated about something that's largely irrelevant for now.

Yes, Miami is ranked ahead of Ole Miss, but neither is on track to make the College Football Playoff. By virtue of winning the Big 12, Arizona State (No. 15) or Iowa State (No. 16) will vault ahead of the 12th-ranked Hurricanes and claim the last playoff berth.

Bleacher Report @BleacherReport

LATEST CFP PROJECTIONS 🏆👀<br><br>Which team you got taking it all? 🍿 <a href="https://t.co/vORrTPHZEr">pic.twitter.com/vORrTPHZEr</a>

It's abundantly clear that Kiffin believes the ACC and Big 12 are weaker conferences than the SEC, and that's a fair conclusion to draw. However, his wider beef should be with how the playoff is formatted.

Under the current rules, the five highest-ranked conference champions qualify. That basically guarantees one or both of the Big 12 and ACC will have one representative, and the decision is out of the committee's hands.

And the fact of the matter is, Ole Miss wouldn't be in this position at all if it managed to beat Kentucky, Florida or LSU, none of whom was exceptional in 2024. The Wildcats lost eight games and went 1-7 in the SEC.

If the Rebels were sitting at 10-2 right now, then they'd almost assuredly be ranked above 9-3 Alabama and on track to make the playoff.