College Football Playoff rankings: Why Ole Miss fans should be concerned about Rebels' one-spot drop

There’s a whole lot going on for the Ole Miss Rebels right now.

Not only is it Egg Bowl week — the team’s annual rivalry matchup against Mississippi State — and not only are rumors swirling about head coach Lane Kiffin’s future, but Ole Miss also dropped one spot in the fourth College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday night.

Oregon moved up to the Rebels’ former No. 6 spot, despite Ole Miss beating Florida 34-24 in Week 13.

Here’s why Ole Miss’ one-spot drop in the updated CFP rankings could be a cause for concern for the Rebels.

MORE: Updated CFP rankings, including full projected bracket

Why Ole Miss fans should be concerned about drop 

Ole Miss' drop in the rankings came despite the fact that the team won its 10th game of the season in Week 13, handling Florida 34-24. For the most part, it does make sense for the committee to reward Oregon for its 42-27 win over a ranked USC unit — since the Ducks beat Penn State then narrowly fell to Indiana, the committee has hesitated to move them up too far without a late-season signature victory.

From that standpoint, the Ducks' jump over the Rebels made sense. But when factoring in the fact that Kiffin, who has been connected to both LSU and Florida's open jobs, could leave Ole Miss before the playoff begins, things get a bit more interesting. The possibility of Kiffin leaving could also hypothetically have an impact on Ole Miss' spot in the bracket as well.

The CFP committee chair, Hunter Yurachek, said the committee did not "have any discussion about Ole Miss and their head coach" when putting Oregon over Ole Miss, which came after a "6-7" joke.

"That was all about Oregon and their performance against USC. Their strength of schedule continues to climb," Yurachek said.

He also noted that there is no real data point available to judge Ole Miss as a team without Kiffin, as they haven't played without him coaching, so there is no way for the committee to weigh that possibility very well.

College Football Playoff committee chair Hunter Yurachek has 6-7 jokes. #CFP pic.twitter.com/3fzg9lUzxI

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 26, 2025

Kiffin will coach through Week 14 against Mississippi State, but is expected to address his future at Ole Miss after that game. If Kiffin leaves the Rebels before Selection Sunday, meaning they'll have an interim coach for the CFP, the committee could choose to move Ole Miss down another spot or two, including the chance that they don't get to host a playoff game at 11-1.

If Ole Miss loses to Mississippi State in Week 14, the Rebels' chances of dropping out of the playoff entirely could also grow more than usual — a season-ending loss to an unranked opponent, plus Kiffin potentially leaving, could be enough for the committee to move Ole Miss out of the bracket entirely.

It's all up in the air still, especially until Kiffin announces his decision. But Oregon leaping Ole Miss in the latest rankings is an early sign of the possibility that the Rebels' playoff seeding takes a hit due to Kiffin's potential departure.

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Would the committee penalize Ole Miss if Lane Kiffin leaves?

It shouldn't be viewed as a likely outcome quite yet, but there is at least a chance that the committee could drop Ole Miss further in the final rankings, should Lane Kiffin leave the program ahead of the CFP.

It would be in the committee's hands to dictate how well it believes the Rebels could play in the playoff without Kiffin on the headset — but there are no examples to use in terms of non-Kiffin coached Ole Miss games, so it'd likely be a tough decision for the committee to make.

In 2023, there was a somewhat similar situation for the College Football Playoff, which wasn't yet 12 teams, with Florida State. A season-ending injury to Seminoles quarterback Jordan Travis was the reason largely attributed to why Florida State did not make the CFP despite going unbeaten and winning the ACC. The committee considered the Seminoles a weaker team without Travis on the field, despite their record.

However, the two key differences from Travis and FSU in 2023 to Kiffin and Ole Miss in 2025 are that Kiffin is a head coach, and there are no games to look at for the Rebels without Kiffin. With FSU, Travis missed the final three games of their season, and the committee thought the Seminoles weren't as dominant without him in those games.

It remains hypothetical, but if Kiffin leaves Ole Miss, the committee will at least have a lot to think about.

MORE: College football picks, predictions for Week 14 games

Has a team ever been penalized because of a coach departure?

No, a team has never been penalized in the CFP rankings because of a coach's departure from the program. But in reality, it wouldn't be too hard for the committee to make that decision, even if it would be controversial.

If Kiffin leaves Ole Miss, the committee will have to do its best to judge how formidable the Rebels can be in the playoff with a new head coach.

MORE: Would Lane Kiffin really leave Ole Miss before CFP run?

Current college football playoff rankings

Here are the most recent CFP rankings.