Would Missing the Playoff be a 'Massive Letdown' for Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin in 2024?

How would missing the College Football Playoff affect the mood around the Ole Miss Rebels program in 2024?

Dec 30, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin after a victory against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The offseason hype continues to roll in for the 2024 Ole Miss Rebels as they search for a bid in the new 12-team College Football Playoff.

Recently on an edition of SEC Now, the expectations for Lane Kiffin's team continued to climb. Analysts Roman Harper and Cole Cubelic discussed how Ole Miss is at a key crossroads as a program this season, both in regards to reaching the playoff and Kiffin's legacy.

Could the coach eventually surpass Johnny Vaught as the greatest of all-time at Ole Miss? That seems like a stretch, but Harper is buying in, thanks in large part to the fact that the Rebels don't face one SEC opponent in particular this season.

Still, that only raises the expectations for what promises to be a crucial campaign in Oxford.

"You don't have Alabama," Harper said. "That is the only Achilles heel that is holding Lane Kiffin from being the greatest coach in Ole Miss' time. I know [Johnny] Vaught, he won a couple of national championships, but Lane Kiffin is kicking at the door right now.

"This is their time because the expansion of the playoff allows 12 to get in. You've got to get in that thing and make some music happen. If you're Ole Miss this year, you're on the clock."

Cubelic agreed with Harper that Ole Miss has no real excuse for not making the playoff this season, assuming the roster stays healthy. The Rebels return an experienced quarterback in Jaxson Dart, an electric wide receiver in Tre Harris, and newcomer Juice Wells, who Cubelic believed was "the best wide receiver in the SEC" last season before his injury.

"It would be a massive letdown if this team is not in a 12-team College Football Playoff," Cubelic said.

The expectations for Ole Miss are high, but that hasn't come out of the blue. The Rebels won 11 games for the first time in program history last season, capping off the campaign with a win in the Peach Bowl over Penn State.

Had the 12-team playoff been in place prior to 2024, Ole Miss would have been in the field in two of the last three seasons, and with so much returning talent and incoming production, the Rebels have become the poster child for programs who can benefit most from the playoff's expansion.