A lot has happened in the last week. Coaching rumors, College Football Playoff movement, injuries, gossip, and much more. The Southeastern Conference always has something going on, so let’s unpack this.
Lane Kiffin is the most popular person in sports at the moment. Ole Miss sits at 10-1 and with a win over Mississippi State the day after Thanksgiving, will have them a lock for the College Football Playoff. If something crazy happens, they could even be set up for an appearance in the SEC Championship game. But let’s be real, no one really cares about that topic.
As fans have seen, Kiffin’s family has taken trips to Gainesville, FL, and Baton Rouge, LA, in the last week to “look around.” It has also been reported, but not confirmed, that LSU has made an offer to Kiffin that he can’t refuse. While LSU and Florida may have both submitted formal offers to Kiffin’s agent, Jimmy Sexton, there is no confirmation that this has taken place as of yet.
Will Kiffin leave Ole Miss? Oxford has treated him well, and Kiffin has put Ole Miss in the best position that they have been in in a very long time. It has been a good relationship, and Kiffin has done an outstanding job as the head coach of the Rebels. That being said, when you are good at your job, others will notice that and will do whatever it takes to hire you away. If there was a year that Ole Miss fans should be worried, it is definitely this year.
Will Kiffin leave? At this point, who knows? Kiffin has zero reason to leave Oxford. Even with a nice pay raise elsewhere, one would have to assume that Ole Miss could match said offer. Right now, I would say that the odds that Kiffin is the head coach in Oxford in 2026 are about 70%.
Alabama is a fine football team, but there have been moments that have cast doubt on their ability to be a championship football team.
The loss to Florida State initially seemed like a “good loss” in the voters’ eyes, but quickly turned into a “bad loss.” Florida State now sits at 5-5, and with road trips to NC State and Florida left on its schedule, a bowl game is not promised at this point.
Alabama quickly recovered and won eight games in a row before falling to Oklahoma over the weekend in the first home loss of the Kalen DeBoer era. The eight wins, while on paper look impressive, there were a lot of struggles to get those victories.
The Georgia game was your typical SEC slugfest. Georgia had multiple opportunities to either send the game into overtime or even outright win the game. Alabama dominated the clock in the second half, and by Georgia going for it on 4th and 1 early in the fourth quarter instead of a field goal attempt, Alabama was able to milk the clock and seal the game. It was a great win by Alabama, and the fact that they didn’t score in the second half and were still able to win on the road is impressive.
The Vanderbilt game was a good win. Alabama gave Vanderbilt plenty of opportunities, but Alabama was simply too much for them to handle. Missouri was a close battle, and had Beau Pribula not been injured, Missouri had a legitimate argument to win that game, especially since the game ended with Mizzou on the one-yard line after a Hail Mary. Tennessee was a good win, but really a game of misfortune for the Vols; overall, it was an impressive victory for Alabama. After the Tennessee game, everything started crumbling.
South Carolina had Alabama beat. Simple as that. The LaNorris Sellers fumble at the end handed Alabama the game on a silver platter. Against LSU, LSU had every chance to win the game but could not stay out of its own way. After two shaky wins, Alabama welcomed in Oklahoma. Oklahoma capitalized on everything presented to them and was able to escape Tuscaloosa with a victory and set itself up as a playoff contender should they win out.
As of now, Texas A&M, Georgia, Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Alabama are projected to make the College Football Playoff. Vanderbilt is the lone team that is on the fringe of getting in.
Texas A&M is coming off a comeback victory against South Carolina that was extremely impressive but also a bit alarming at this point in the season. While South Carolina is having a bad season overall, their defense is a respectable unit. Texas A&M has to travel to Austin for its final regular-season game to take on Texas. This is a tough test for them as they head towards the postseason. A win against Texas will make Texas A&M a lock for the College Football Playoff, and even with a loss, Texas A&M will more than likely still be in the field of 12.
Georgia closed out their SEC schedule with an impressive 35-10 victory against Texas. After a game against Charlotte, Georgia closes its regular season with a game against fellow College Football Playoff contender Georgia Tech. Georgia is essentially locked in for the field of 12 at this point. It would take an extremely embarrassing loss to Georgia Tech to change that conversation.
Oklahoma has the toughest road to securing a playoff spot in the College Football Playoff. With losses to Texas and Ole Miss, their path is not easy as they close out the season with Missouri and LSU. Missouri and LSU each have strong defenses, and Oklahoma’s biggest weakness is its offense, which is strange due to the talent that they have. Since the injury to John Mateer’s hand, he has not been as dominant as Sooners fans have expected him to be. Oklahoma proved that they are gritty in their win against Alabama, and in order to lock up a playoff spot, they must continue that grittiness as the season closes.
All Alabama must do is defeat Auburn. With a loss to Auburn, they are eliminated from the SEC Championship game as well as the field of 12. With the game being at Auburn, at night, anything can happen. There is a weird magic in the air at Jordan-Hare Stadium when the Crimson Tide comes to town, and something weird always takes place.
Vanderbilt is on the fringe of getting in. Having a bye week did them no favors as they come in at number 14 in the College Football Playoff rankings. This week, they play Kentucky. Kentucky has played with a chip on its shoulder since naming Cutter Boley its starting quarterback. Sitting at 5-5 and the winners of three straight, Kentucky is now playing for a bowl game and a chance to spoil Vanderbilt’s season. Vanderbilt closes the season with Tennessee, and if Vanderbilt wins out, the odds of them making the field of 12 seem to be pretty high.
1- Texas A&M: They are the only undefeated team; you remain until you lose.
2- Georgia: Dominant win against Texas, things are looking good.
3- Ole Miss: They beat Oklahoma
4- Oklahoma: They beat Alabama
5- Alabama: They have some solid wins, the OU loss hurts them
6- Texas: Even with a loss, they did beat Vanderbilt
7- Vanderbilt: Bye Week, plus 0-2 against the six listed above
T8- Missouri: Good win against Mississippi State
T8- Tennessee: They need a signature win badly
10- LSU: What could have and should have been
11- Kentucky: Winners of three in a row, trap game for Vandy?
12- Florida: Too much talent to be having such a bad season
T13- Auburn: They look better without Freeze. Can they win the Iron Bowl?
T13- Mississippi State: So much potential, can’t finish games
15- South Carolina: Blew their shot at a great season
16- Arkansas: Fantastic offense, but that is it
The season of coaching carousels has begun, and now, the Kentucky Wildcats have their next head coach in Will Stein
Joe Rutland
Writer
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The Lane Kiffin era at Ole Miss is over. Kiffin, who kept the college football world guessing about his status with the Rebels, announced on Sunday that he’ll leave the school for a new job as head coach at LSU. For LSU, it’s a solid pickup in the wake of Brian Kelly getting fired and […]
