Does Ole Miss really have a Lane Kiffin … problem? One guy thinks so

OXFORD, Miss. — Listening to some of these folks on YouTube and other social media platforms, you’d think Ole Miss is not even going to a bowl game headed into the final regular-season game. It’s downright laughable at times.

For everybody’s information, that’s nothing new. Teams everywhere in college football aren’t remembered for how they finish as much as what was expected. In other words, unless you win the championship (and that’s only one for the last 27 years), folks remember what people predicted in July and August.

That’s why a lot of people think Lane Kiffin should be escorted out of town. These days, any idiot with a phone can have an opinion.

It’s that dang Kentucky game. Folks knew at the time it was bad. Some thought it was terminal, but it will likely keep the Rebels out of the College Football Playoff this year. They will still be in a pretty good bowl game, but not the championship unless a wild set of events happens Saturday.

Everybody needs to just relax. You can believe all of that Florida talk that was flying around a couple of months ago if you want, but the only people who really know aren’t talking. Have whatever view you want about all that, but Kiffin isn’t the problem. It’s the world of college athletics.

Ole Miss simply ran into a team that has developed over the course of a season and was much better than the projections. Once they figured things out and everybody got on the same page, the Gators have been winning games. Right now, they are going to probably be 7-5 and nobody was predicting that last summer. Billy Napier will still have his job and is starting to show why he was hired.

People are having a week to pitch a fit over the loss to Florida. Trust me, Kiffin, the coaches and players aren’t happy about the outcome. Considering they were coming off a bye week, it wasn’t out of my mind they would be a little off. It’s happened consistently in college football this year. Add in they lost Tre Harris in the first half after spending a couple of weeks game-planning around him, then the center and it’s really not shocking.

Now it’s fair to ask questions about depth and in-game adjustments because Ole Miss put up big numbers without Harris against Arkansas, then beat Georgia without him. There’s a reason every team except Oregon has a loss this year. If the Ducks played the Rebels’ schedule they’d be sitting there with two or three losses, too.

College football has changed with the different times. Part of the problem that likely caused Nick Saban to step down at Alabama is becoming a reality in college football now. As Lou Holtz said years ago, different week, different team. He was referring to your own team.

These days, the fate of Saturday’s game can be hanging on something that happens on a Wednesday night date. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Now Kiffin just can’t avoid a hangover letdown against Mississippi State on Friday. The Rebels are favored by 26.5 points. The guess here is they very likely could cover that. If you want to look at a team with problems, check out Starkville, not around here.

Kiffin can take the heat. That’s what he gets paid for. Just don’t start thinking he’s the problem because he’s still the solution and this season may not be a one-off year. Why can’t it be repeated?

Laugh at the idiots on YouTube and social media. Especially when they don’t have a clue what they’re talking about.