By Andrew McCartyShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberOle Miss might suffer the consequences of Lane Kiffin's actions.
The head coach has the Rebels in position for a College Football Playoff spot, but is weighing offers from SEC rivals Florida and LSU, who have both reportedly offered over $90 million deals. Kiffin suggested he plans to coach Ole Miss through the end of the season, but hasn't definitively made a decision on where he'll coach in 2026 - and both the Gators and Tigers want answers sooner rather than later.
That could force Kiffin to leave Ole Miss before the College Football Playoff, which was a question posed to the committee during Tuesday night's reveal.
More College Football: Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin Sends Telling Message on Future as Florida, LSU Wait
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Playoff chairman Hunter Yurachek was asked how the committee would handle Ole Miss if Kiffin decided to leave the program before its playoff game. Yuracheck admitted the loss of a player or coach could impact the team's ranking and said a potential penalty would be "considered" if Kiffin leaves Ole Miss before the playoff.
"We'll take care of that when it happens. Loss of player or loss of key coach is in the principles of how we rank. We don't have a data point for Ole Miss without the head coach. It could be considered by the committee," he said.
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The comment from Yurachek comes after the playoff committee dropped Ole Miss one spot in the rankings despite the Rebels not playing last weekend. Oregon jumped up to No. 6 while Ole Miss dropped to No. 7. With the current playoff rankings the Ducks would face off against Miami while the Rebels would be forced into a matchup with Alabama.
More Football: National Champion Coach Could Join Lane Kiffin at LSU
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