Lane Kiffin: Ole Miss Rebels 'Playing With House Money' Against Georgia Bulldogs

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin joined SportsCenter on Tuesday to discuss his team's upcoming matchup with the Georgia Bulldogs.

This week is a challenge for the No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels, but challenges aren't always a bad thing. In fact, they sometimes provide a free opportunity.

That's how Lane Kiffin views Saturday's matchup against the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs in Athens. The Bulldogs have won 26 straight games, and they have not lost at home in over five seasons. As back-to-back national champions, this is as big a test as a road team can have in a night environment.

But Kiffin isn't backing down, as indicated by a recent appearance on ESPN's SportsCenter. 

He knows that his team is a double-digit underdog on Saturday, but hey, why not use that as motivation? As he says, there's nothing to lose.

"It's kind of like playing with house money," Kiffin said. "What do we have to lose? Let's just go take a shot."

Nov 4, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin looks on during the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports / USA Today Sports

The Rebels are No. 9 in the latest College Football Playoff Rankings released on Tuesday night, but they don't control their own destiny for an SEC West crown or, frankly, a playoff berth. For now, that's not Kiffin's focus anyway. It's about going 1-0 this week, and he has a huge opportunity to make some noise in college football if he does that on Saturday.

"Well, we're not worried about SEC West champs right now," Kiffin said. "Part of that is out of our control. We're worried about preparing really well today and going to play the most challenging game you can possibly have. Two-time defending national champs. This is the trifecta of tests here. This'll be fun. Nothing to lose."

Kiffin has been known as somewhat of a "quarterback whisperer" during his coaching career, helping mold signal callers during their college days to reach new (sometimes elite) levels. There is no better indicator of that than seeing Jaxson Dart's growth at Ole Miss this season, and a win in Athens on Saturday would mean a storybook performance from him and his teammates is required.

"He played really well against a great A&M defense Saturday," Kiffin said. "Now, he's going to have a bigger test on the road against the best team in college football for years. They haven't lost there in over five years. Huge challenge for him. Players gotta make plays around him, we've got to do a good job coaching around him in order to have a chance."

Ole Miss and Georgia are scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m. CT on Saturday, and the game will be televised on ESPN.