Ranked No. 7 in the country by the College Football Playoff selection committee in its latest rankings, Mississippi is currently in line to host Alabama in the opening round of the upcoming tournament. Time will tell whether the Rebels still have the coach that has led them to that ranking and 10–1 record at this time next week.
Both LSU and Florida are reportedly in hot pursuit of Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, who is set to make a decision on whether he will remain with the Rebels or jump for an SEC rival after Friday’s Egg Bowl game against Mississippi State.
The absence of a program’s coach can impact its CFP ranking and seeding. A few years ago, in the event’s four-team era, undefeated Florida State was left out after quarterback Jordan Travis went down with a devastating season-ending injury late in the year. The Seminoles would beat Florida at the end of the regular season and a ranked Louisville team to win the ACC, but the committee decided that FSU was not the same team without Travis, leaving them out in favor of 12–1 Alabama.
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The FSU situation, which drew significant outrage from those in Tallahassee and around the country, has been cited as precedent for a potential Kiffin departure. There is a significant difference however, which selection committee chair Hunter Yurachek mentioned when asked during ESPN’s broadcast of the rankings release: the committee may not have a chance to see a Kiffin-less Ole Miss play if he departs, while they saw two-plus games of the Seminoles without Travis. As a result, the Rebels may not face the same kind of rankings hit.
“It is in the protocol but I’m not sure we will have a data point to use that as part of the protocol,” Yurachek told Rece Davis. “We would not have seen the team play without the coach.”
Yurachek also confirmed that the Kiffin situation was not discussed this week. Ole Miss was jumped for the No. 6 spot by Oregon, after the Ducks’ impressive win vs. USC.
The Rebels could give the CFP selection committee a Kiffin-less data point, if they reach the SEC championship game. That is currently a longshot due to tiebreakers but Ole Miss is one of four teams alive for a berth entering the weekend.
As important as a coach like Kiffin is to his team, it is a bit different than a program having to resort to using a backup quarterback. However, Kiffin is also the team’s play caller. It is certainly a projection to say that the Rebels will not look the same with offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. calling the offense and quarterbacks coach Joe Judge or defensive coordinator Pete Golding leading the team as interim head coach, but it is not an unfair assumption.
It is unfathomable to many that an SEC program in firm playoff position, and just days away from its chief rivalry game, could be in this position, but the sport continues to give us unprecedented situations year after year. The fact that the mercurial Kiffin is involved is just the cherry on top.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as CFP Chair Explains How Selection Committee Will Treat Ole Miss If Lane Kiffin Leaves.
