Lane Kiffin tears down newly reformed CFP as Notre Dame cruises over Indiana: ‘Really exciting competitive game’

· New York Post

Well, that was fast.

Ole Miss Head Coach Lane Kiffin sarcastically blasted the College Football Playoff — just one game in — after the Rebels failed to clinch a spot in the newly reformed postseason.

“Really exciting competitive game,” Kiffin wrote on X Friday night, ripping the College Football Playoff game between Notre Dame and Indiana. “Great job!!”

Mississippi head coach Lane Kiffin is seen during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Georgia on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. AP

The sarcasm could be excused, Kiffin had an unpleasant evening. 

From home, the head coach watched No. 7 Notre Dame stomp down No. 10 Indiana in South Bend, presenting the Hoosiers with the distinct honor of being the very first team ever eliminated from the 12-team College Football Playoff.

The final score was 27-17, though the ten-point margin doesn’t nearly do the demolition justice. 

Indiana Hoosiers offensive lineman Austin Barrett (73) leaves the field along with other players after losing a college football playoff match to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame’s defense held Indiana to their second-fewest points of the season, and the Hoosiers didn’t score their first touchdown of the game until there was less than 1:30 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Would Kiffin’s Rebels have held a fiercer competitive edge? The world will never know.

Though their head coach certainly thinks so. 

Ole Miss was all but knocked out of playoff contention when they dropped their penultimate contest of the season to the Florida Gators.

Jordan Castell (14) of the Florida Gators stands over Dae’Quan Wright (8) of the Mississippi Rebels during their contest in November. Florida went on to win the game, handing Ole Miss their third loss of the season. Getty Images

It was the Rebels’ third loss of the season, all three of which had come in SEC play. 

Ole Miss had no chance to vindicate their season’s efforts without a berth to the conference championship game, despite a slew of impressive wins — including a 28-10 defeat of then-No. 3 Georgia the week before the Florida debacle.

Ole Miss Rebels wide receiver Jordan Watkins (11) catches a pass in the fourth quarter and runs it in for a touchdown against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mississippi won 63-31. Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

The Rebels finished ranked No. 14 and missed out on a playoff bid. 

Those spots, the committee decided, went instead to teams like tenth-seeded Indiana — who finished with 11 wins but also played the 32nd hardest schedule in the country, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. 

And the 12-win, third-seeded Boise State, who played only one ranked opponent — then-No. 7 Oregon — up until their Mountain West Championship victory.

The Broncos’ schedule was the 81st most difficult in the nation, per ESPN.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with his team after defeating the Indiana Hoosiers in the first round of the College Football Playoff at Notre Dame Stadium. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

With their win on Friday, the Fighting Irish have booked their date with No. 2 Georgia in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, scheduled for an 8:45 p.m. kickoff on New Year’s Day. 

Ole Miss supporters, for their part, are stuck counting down the days until their Rebels take to the gridiron in 2025.