Lane Kiffin mocked the College Football Playoff selection committee last December, criticizing the decisions that left Ole Miss out of the inaugural 12-team field. The Rebels were one of several three-loss teams on the outside looking in when the final rankings were announced. The Ole Miss head coach has been outspoken about his frustrations with the selection process that left the Rebels out of the playoff with a résumé that included three one-possession losses. Kiffin took aim at the CFP selection committee last December and has not softened his stance since. In a recent interview with USA TODAY Sports, Kiffin said the playoff format still is not rewarding the right teams.
“The system doesn’t have it right,” Kiffin said, via USA TODAY Sports. “I don’t think anybody, after watching the games, would say those are the best 12 teams in America. In my opinion, that’s what it should be: You should be getting the best teams.”
The 12-team CFP format remains the same for the upcoming 2025 season, but could expand in 2026 as discussions continue. Kiffin said a larger field would help eliminate the inconsistencies he views in the current model when it comes to the selection process.
“Sixteen teams, you’d get more people exited about it, more people in play, and less (chance) for error by the committee,” Kiffin said, via USA TODAY Sports. “Forget giving (automatic bids). Figure out the best teams. Let and educated committee figure that out with analytics.”
The influence from both the Big Ten and SEC on what happens next with the playoff format will be substantial, especially beginning in 2026. The two college football revenue giants want more bites at the apple while keeping the regular season meaningful. Changes are coming to the CFP but like all processes that attract bureaucratic intervention, alterations are gradual and only a means to fine-tune with minor tweaks to make a good product better.
FBS commissioners and presidents met in January before the national championship game in Atlanta with no major news to report concerning immediate changes, but there remains unhurried conversations about what is next after the 12-team format continues in 2025.
Ole Miss was essentially eliminated from playoff contention following a 24-17 loss at Florida in the second-to-last weekend of the regular season. Kiffin admitted he is still not over how the 2024 season ended.
“You may think you’re over it, and you’re over it in certain areas or part of it,” Kiffin said, via USA TODAY Sports. “But then there’s a bargaining stage. … I think sometimes I still do that. It was a really good team, it’s just, we played three one-score games and lost them all.”
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Brad Crawford contributed to this report.
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