"It is kind of brutal": CFB analyst dissects anonymous SEC coach's bold Lane Kiffin comments over 2024 playoff snub

Lane Kiffin couldn't lead the Ole Miss Rebels into the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, finishing the regular season 9-3. The season included victories against top program Georgia Bulldogs, while the team lost against the Florida Gators, who struggled otherwise last season.

The up and down season had many created doubt in many with one anonymous SEC coach going as far as to say that Kiffin should not be considered an "elite coach."

“They’ve done a very good job integrating that talent and winning right away,” the anonymous coach added, “but this is still an inconsistent program… The loss at Florida last year is an example of why [Lane] Kiffin isn’t considered an elite coach."

Another anonymous coach targeted Kiffin, saying that despite acing the transfer portal, not seeing Ole Miss in the CFP was a surprise, via Athlon Sports:

“The first program in the league that went all-in on portal players to take them to a playoff bid went bust. Now what? [Austin] Simmons is talented but unpolished, and it’s going to take some time to develop him."

During Thursday's episode, analyst Steven Lassan reacted to the blunt assessment of Kiffin, saying it's kind of "brutal" (12:15).

"The one on Kiffin, I think, is kind of brutal—just talking about the loss to Florida, the missed opportunity there," Lassan said on That SEC podcast.

"It is interesting to start thinking about Ole Miss from last year to this year. I think there’s an element of believing they can still be a playoff team because of Lane Kiffin’s track record—consistently getting to nine or 10 wins the last couple of years."

Lane Kiffin has a better shot at making CFP in upcoming season than in 2024

The College Football Playoff adopted a 12-team playoff field, which saw four top conference champions get byes before the other eight teams were picked based on the rankings.

Due to this, Boise State and Arizona State, who won their respective conferences, were able to make the CFP field while the likes of Alabama and Ole Miss had to miss on the playoff action despite holding a stronger schedule.

Lane Kiffin even expressed disappointment on the said format last year and it seems the CFP committee heard it. The College Football Playoff is returning to a straight seeding model, which means that irrespective of conference, the top 12 teams will be selected at the sole discretion of the ranking they were given by the committee.

This increases the chances of Kiffin's Ole Miss being picked as they play in one of the most powerful football conferences (SEC) and if it doesn't lose more than two or three games on the season, it should get picked.