The deterioration of CFP rankings is becoming as American as apple pie. But no one is more furious than Lane Kiffin.
Ole Miss' head coach interrupted the CFP selection committee Wednesday morning after it was revealed that the 9-3 Rebels finished 13th in the penultimate rankings. He is one place short of the top 12, and is likely to be on the outside in the ranking match. The first expanded 12-team playoffs begin in two weeks.
“Did you actually meet for many days and come up with this ranking??” Kiffin wrote to. “Are you actually looking at the quality of the players, the teams, the road environment (we played in one of your environments this year) or are you just trying to make the ACC feel like it's the right fit? ?? [By the way]one of your teams paid us to never play again next year. ”
That team will be Wake Forest, with a reported value of $750,000.
After Ole Miss defeated Wake Forest 40-6 in Winston-Salem in mid-September, Demon Deacons brass said,business decisions” to earn a spot in the 2025 home-and-home series, which was to be held at Vought-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi.
Kiffin's question mark-filled rant continued as his focus shifted to another ACC team, the Miami Hurricanes. The Miami Hurricanes were ranked one spot higher than the Rebels in the latest rankings.
“No. 12, the same place you ranked Clemson.” [as] last week. How is that against the SEC? look again [Georgia versus] If you want to remember two conferences, come to Clemson. ”
(For those who need a reminder: Week 1 of the 2024 season, the Bulldogs defeated the Tigers 34-3.)
Despite his charm, full of spirit, pathos and logos, Kiffin's Rebels likely finished the season.
The championship game is all that remains before the selection committee decides on playoff spots, but with the Rebels missing the SEC title game, it's hard to see how they'll move up in the standings over the next seven days.
Kiffin can take solace in the fact that neither the 4-8 Demon Deacons nor the 10-2 Hurricanes are likely to make the playoffs.
Despite Miami's top-12 ranking, the playoff format allows the conference's top five champions to automatically qualify. No. 15 Arizona State or No. 16 Iowa State will clinch the final playoff spot with a big league win. 12.
If the Rebels had managed to beat Florida, LSU, or even Kentucky (the same Wildcats who lost eight times in 2024 and finished 1-7 in conference play), Kiffin wouldn't have cursed heaven in the first place. Dew.
But, of course, any team can play that game. Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich isn't shy about making his thoughts public, but if Miami had taken care of business against Syracuse on Saturday, the AD would still have lifted the Americans.
In the words of ACC Conference Commissioner Jim Phillips, “We look forward to the committee reconsidering and making the appropriate assessment as we look to the final rankings.” [insert your preferred team here] In the field. ”
Just don't hold your breath.
