How Are Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss Handling Preseason Hype in 2024?

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin is not a fan of "rat poison."

Jul 15, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin speaking at Omni Dallas Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin is not a fan of "rat poison," but his team has garnered plenty of it this offseason.

The Rebels have largely been considered as a legitimate contender for a College Football Playoff (and SEC title) appearance, they have a huge amount of NFL Draft prospects on their roster, and they were recently ranked at No. 6 nationally in both the Coaches and AP Polls. That is what Kiffin would call prime rat poison, hype and expectations given to his team from outside the Manning Center.

If Ole Miss hopes to accomplish any of its goals in 2024, it will have to tune out the analysts around the country who are declaring just how good the Rebels are, but how does Kiffin feel the pressure from a personal standpoint? He discussed that aspect on Monday.

"I don't know that I necessarily feel that because I think I apply more pressure on myself than any outside source," Kiffin said. "You talk about last season, the two things that come to my mind are the two losses. I should have done a better job in those."

For his team, however, that's a different story. When the country is heaping praise and expectations on a roster, it could be easy to become complacent. That's what Kiffin is fighting against as the season nears.

"I do get concerned, obviously," Kiffin said. "I talk extensively about it to the players because I think that comes at them nonstop nowadays because of phones. That's a big concern of mine. I'm trying to work on those things all the time with these guys because now there's more of it than we've ever had here for sure with the preseason rankings, position rankings or mock draft things. It's a lot to guard against."

If you have a roster like Ole Miss' appears to be on paper this season, some preseason hype is unavoidable. But the championship teams are able to ignore that and tell their own story on the field.

Can the Rebels do that in 2024? They will open the season at home against the FCS Furman Paladins on Aug. 31.