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Lane Kiffin vehemently defends SEC amid CFP controversy: 'It ain't rocket science'

FaceProfileby:Thomas Goldkamp•11/20/24
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Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin sports a "Come to The Sip" hoodie at a game - © Bruce Newman / Special to The Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin was asked about Georgia beating Tennessee on Saturday and what his thoughts on the Bulldogs were, knowing they are competing for a College Football Playoff berth.

He went into a bit of a rant about how strong the SEC is, going to bat for the conference once again.

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He also heaped praise on Georgia for its culture and ability to rebound like a championship team after a tough loss to Kiffin’s Rebels the week prior.

“Well first off Georgia’s been playing at a championship level for a long time,” Lane Kiffin said. “So I fully expected that to happen Saturday, because they play really well and when you get to two losses your backs are against the wall and you realize what you’re about to lose. Those are championship players, a championship coach and program. So that was not surprising at all, how they played.”

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As for the league’s strength as a whole, Kiffin remains convinced that playing in the SEC is simply a cut above other leagues. It’s that much more challenging.

Lane Kiffin even relied on other SEC coaches to make his point.

“Kirby (Smart)‘s made mention, the SEC is different,” Kiffin said. “I ain’t saying that because I’m here, OK, because there are better coaches in the conference talking about the ACC top to bottom and all that. This is… it ain’t rocket science if you watch football, OK? And I, during the bye, watched football in other conferences. The SEC is different. And playing in the SEC environment, totally different than a lot of the places those guys play.”

That idea will likely be central to how many teams the SEC gets in the College Football Playoff field this winter. Lane Kiffin hopes his Ole Miss squad is one of them.

But nothing is guaranteed. Not even the team’s last two games against Florida and Mississippi State.

Kiffin has been around the SEC long enough to know that.

“So like Kirby said, it’s hard, man,” Kiffin said. “It’s hard to go on the road in this conference — which always has the most NFL players in it — and win. So it’s very much like the NFL playing in the SEC.”