Following his ESPN interview when he said the College Football Playoff committee does not have a “data point” about how Lane Kiffin’s potential departure would impact Ole Miss, Hunter Yurachek was pressed further. During a teleconference with reporters Tuesday night, he reiterated the CFP selection committee does not look ahead.
On3’s Brett McMurphy asked Yurachek to clarify his comments from earlier Tuesday. Speaking with ESPN’s Rece Davis, the CFP selection committee chairman confirmed it’s in the “protocol” to account for a team without a key coach or player. On3’s Chris Low previously reported Ole Miss’ ranking could be impacted if Kiffin leaves.
When asked whether that meant the committee cannot negatively impact the Rebels’ spot in the Top 25, Yurachek said the committee will addressed it if – or when – the time comes. For now, there is no “data point.”
“We’ll take care of that when it happens,” Yurachek said. “We don’t look ahead. The loss of a player, the loss of a key coach is in the principles of how we rank the teams. But again, we don’t have a data point for Ole Miss without their head coach.”
After being asked a follow-up about whether the committee could penalize Ole Miss, Yurachek said Kiffin’s departure would be “considered” by the committee if that were to happen. It adds to the intrigue around the situation, which comes as Ole Miss gets ready for its rivalry game against Mississippi State.
The eyes of the college football world have been on Kiffin as he weighs his next steps. On3’s team of insiders reported LSU, Florida and Ole Miss are preparing lucrative offers as the rumors swirl, and Pete Nakos added the sense is Kiffin “holds the keys” to the coaching carousel.
Tuesday night, when the fourth College Football Playoff rankings came out, Ole Miss fell one spot to No. 7. Oregon, following a win over USC last week, jumped up to No. 6. When asked by Davis about whether Lane Kiffin’s future came up during the conversations, Yurachek – after making a “6-7” joke – said that was not the case. Instead, it was a testament to Oregon’s ability to get a marquee victory.
“We didn’t have any discussion about Ole Miss and their coach,” Yurachek said. “That was all about Oregon and their performance against USC. Their strength of schedule continues to climb. They’ve been dominant on the offense and defensive side of the ball. Really good in special teams. The committee had been waiting for them to have a signature win to really put them where we thought they deserved to be.”
