Why Lane Kiffin Cares More About 'Getting Better' Than Rebels' Top 5 Ranking

The Ole Miss Rebels are ranked among the nation's elite this week, but Lane Kiffin has bigger goals in mind.

Aug 31, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin talks with officials after a penalty flag during the second half against the Furman Paladins at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Ole Miss Rebels are the consensus No. 5 team in the country this week after their dismantling of Middle Tennessee on Saturday, but head coach Lane Kiffin hasn't seemed to notice.

Not that Kiffin doesn't care about how good his team is. In fact, that's almost all he cares about. But in his mind, there are plenty of things bigger than rankings, especially in the early portions of the season.

He's of the opinion that if Ole Miss plays like it should and takes care of business, the Rebels will be fine, with or without a "target on their back" this season.

"Right or wrong, I've not even discussed rankings with them or where we've moved because that means nothing," Kiffin said on Monday. "They've been talked to extensively from me about how rankings in general mean nothing...because it doesn't.

"Rankings move around when people don't even know who played who and who's necessarily good that you've played. We try to stay away from all that and focus on getting better and what we need to work on."

Ole Miss has looked the part early in the season, but its first two games have come against lesser opponents in FCS Furman and the aforementioned Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee. Things will ramp up competition-wise in the next few weeks, beginning this Saturday when the Rebels travel to Wake Forest.

It's not a bad thing to be ranked in the top five; to suggest so would be ludicrous. But it would be bad for a team to see the ranking next to its name and become complacent, and that's what Kiffin is guarding against.

Specifically, the coach wants to see his team shore up its secondary this week against the Demon Deacons after allowing some chunk plays to MTSU last week, despite winning the game 52-3 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

"I just thought it was sloppy, and it was on us," Kiffin said. "It was just miscommunication or missed coverages or who has who.

"I really thought after watching, it probably wasn't as bad as I felt during the game, and it should be easy to fix, I told them. It's not like there were physical issues. It was mental breaks and lapses, especially as the score got lopsided."

The Rebels and Demon Deacons will kick off at 5:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, and the game will be televised on The CW.