Is Lane Kiffin right, or is he just stirring the pot again? The Ole Miss head coach didn’t hold back when he made a compelling case for his Rebels to snag a spot in the College Football Playoff. But the playoff bubble is getting tighter and tighter, with Ole Miss, Alabama, and South Carolina all sitting at 9-3. Real talk: South Carolina is already packing its bags for the offseason. Their resume? A win over Clemson and losses to both Ole Miss and Alabama—yeah, that ain’t playoff material. So, it’s down to the Rebels, and the Crimson Tide, and Kiffin’s numbers game says Ole Miss should get the last nod.

Kiffin took it to X to drop long receipts, pointing out Ole Miss’s edge in head-to-head stats. The Rebels outscored their opponents by 296 points this season compared to Bama’s 252. Lane Kiffin was going for band-for-band and depth-for-depth with all the receipts. In losses, Ole Miss kept things with a -13 points differential, while Alabama got worked with a -33. The kicker? Ole Miss’s wins against common opponents were way more convincing, including an 18-point takedown of Georgia, a team Alabama only managed to beat by 7. Kiffin’s argument? The numbers don’t lie—but will they matter?

Enter Bret Bielema, head coach of Illinois, who chimed in on Dec. 2, backing Kiffin while throwing his own team into the mix, “I couldn’t agree more, @Lane_Kiffin,” Bielema posted on X. Bret compared Illinois’s 9-3 record and #30 strength of schedule to Ole Miss’s #31. His point? Illinois’s three losses came to heavy hitters like Oregon and Penn State, while Ole Miss dropped games to unranked Kentucky and off-beat Florida. His solution? Scrap the politics and pick the best 12 teams—because if the strength of schedule and close losses are the criteria, Illinois wants a seat at the table, too, which is almost impossible now.

The playoff committee’s dilemma

This season has to be one of the craziest college football ever, not the craziest. The playoff committee and Warde Manuel are currently scratching their head now. The playoff selection process has been reckless. Many of the fans would agree. The playoff selection process has always been a mix of stats, eye tests, and, let’s be honest, brand bias. Alabama’s playoff legacy could still push them ahead, even if the numbers favor Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss. Meanwhile, Illinois’s late entry into the conversation adds a new twist, though their Big 10 affiliation might not carry the same weight as the SEC’s reputation.

The SEC division is filled with killers, unlike the Big 10. But speaking of the strength of schedule, Bret Bielema does make sense, but they failed scored more than a single touchdown against No.1 ranked Oregon and No. 4 ranked Penn State. The Illonois’ has one of the weakest defense in the ranked teams. Their offense, ball out against unranked teams and defense gives easy competition for the opponents to score a touchdown on them. But for the committee, it’s about balancing dominance, consistency, and the all-important question: Who’s going to bring the heat in the playoffs?

Kiffin’s plea might not win over the committee, but it’s definitely sparked a debate that fans—and coaches—won’t stop talking about. Whether it’s Ole Miss, Alabama, or an outlier like Illinois, the playoff bubble drama is exactly why college football stays undefeated. As for Kiffin, he’s done what he does best: keep his team in the spotlight and remind everyone that the Rebels aren’t just stats—they’re a problem. Now, all eyes are on the committee. Will they stick with tradition or finally break the mold? We all know what’s going to happen.