Lane Kiffin Shares Initial Thoughts On Ole Miss Football vs. Georgia Matchup

On Sunday, Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin shared some early thoughts about his team's upcoming matchup with Georgia.

Nov 2, 2024; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin prior to the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

After closing the book on Saturday's big win over the Arkansas Razorbacks, Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin began discussing his team's upcoming matchup against the Georgia Bulldogs during a media availability on Sunday evening.

Kiffin was pleased overall with Ole Miss' performance in the 63-31 beatdown of the Razorbacks (outside of some sloppiness on defense), but he offered some high praise of the Bulldogs when speaking with the media on a Sunday Zoom call.

"A lot to work on. This is the test of all tests," Kiffin said. "This is the premier program in college football, what Alabama used to be, and [head coach] Kirby [Smart]'s done an amazing job. I think since 2021, they're 49-0 besides three losses to a team named Alabama.

"Big challenge. I think they're loaded as they have been during that run. Supremely talented roster, especially on defense. Like playing an NFL team."

READ MORE: SEC Nation Coming to Oxford For Ole Miss vs. Georgia Matchup

Georgia is coming into this weekend's game against Ole Miss as the No. 2-ranked team in the country, according to the latest installment of the AP Top 25, although the first set of College Football Playoff Rankings will be revealed on Tuesday night.

The Bulldogs have suffered one loss so far this season, one that came against the aforementioned Crimson Tide of Alabama. Since that loss, Georgia has earned wins over Auburn, Mississippi State, Texas and Florida, the most recent of which saw them trail at halftime against the Gators before mounting a second half comeback on Saturday.

From Ole Miss' perspective, Kiffin is right: this is the "test of all tests." From a pure talent perspective, Georgia is likely the best team the Rebels have faced or will face in the 2024 regular season, and the Rebels need a win on Saturday to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. The positive boost for Ole Miss is that this year's game comes in Oxford as opposed to last year's meeting in Athens, one that ended in a massive loss for the Rebels.

Kickoff on Saturday between Ole Miss and Georgia is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC.