On Saturday, Ole Miss finished off the 2024 season with a solid win over struggling in-state rival Mississippi State, 26-14, giving the Rebels a 9-3 record in what has been a rough-and-tumble SEC.
But that might not be enough to earn a spot in the upcoming 12-team College Football Playoff, not with several other “bubble” teams, including South Carolina and Alabama within the SEC, vying for a bid.
That has not stopped Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin, though, from stating his case through whatever means he can find. Kiffin has taken to Twitter/X to make the case for the Rebels at least edging out South Carolina and Alabama as a potential fourth SEC team in the CFP mix (assuming that Tennessee, Georgia and Texas are in).
For Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, who has had a wild first season in Tuscaloosa, that all makes some sense. But, appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday, DeBoer declined the opportunity to right back at Kiffin, instead saying that rather than a Kiffin-esque campaign, he is simply going to let the record speak for itself.
“Us knowing who we are, and just kind of talking about that, I think that’s what it is all about,” DeBoer said when asked about Kiffin. “It’s easy for me because I am excited about who we are as a football team, who we have become. I think that is the biggest piece of it. We understand the games we have played, the number of ranked teams we have beat, and I think just talking about that has been the focus. I guess that’s what other programs will probably be doing, too.”
There will be a bit more clarity offered on Tuesday night, of course, as the committee determining the 12 teams that will make the College Football Playoffs will release its last set of rankings prior to the conference championship games.
