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    • Lane Kiffin puts pressure on CFP bracket after Ole Miss pounds Georgia
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    Lane Kiffin puts pressure on CFP bracket after Ole Miss pounds Georgia

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    • Lane Kiffin and his Ole Miss Rebels changed the narrative and caused fear among the CFP selection committee by beating Georgia.
    • In a crowded bubble, the ACC and Big 12 are in greater danger of becoming one-bid leagues, especially after the loss to Miami.
    • Does Georgia need a quarterback change? Carson Beck is still in a slump

    Lane Kiffin and his quarterback, Jaxson Dart, grabbed that big, hairy “can’t win the big one” monkey off their shoulders and kicked him to the moon on Saturday.

    Ole Miss won the big one. A season-saving large one.

    The rebels did not just defeat Georgia. They dominated the Bulldogs.

    Consider Saturday’s 28-10 victory a story-changing turnaround that came 12 months after Georgia crushed Ole Miss by 35 points in Athens.

    That loss last November spurred Kiffin to carefully evaluate the weaknesses on his roster, and with Ole Miss’ well-funded NIL collective behind him, he addressed those offseason shortcomings with a surgeon’s precision. Kiffin used proven transfers to strengthen Ole Miss’ offensive line and defensive front.

    That investment has paid off in this rematch. Ole Miss (8-2) owned Georgia (7-2) at the scrimmage.

    “Just really happy,” Kiffin said afterward.

    Dart’s interception in the first quarter gave Georgia golden field position and scored its only touchdown. You could be forgiven for thinking at that moment, “Here we go again.”

    Like his coach, Dart previously withered against the toughest opponents. Not anymore. He shook off the early mistake and despite playing with a weak ankle, Dart easily outperformed Georgia’s Carson Beck, who remained mired in a weeklong rut.

    “Jaxson made really good throws,” Kiffin said.

    And Kiffin made all the right moves, consistently opting for field goals on fourth downs that piled Ole Miss into valuable points, while the remade defense handled the rest.

    Kiffin was 0-5 all-time against Nick Saban, with the first loss coming when he coached Tennessee. Those results have contributed to the narrative that Kiffin sparkles in big games. That story is outdated and no longer accurate.

    Kiffin now owns a win against Kirby Smart, James Franklin, Brian Kelly and Josh Heupel. He beat Jimbo Fisher 3-0 and contributed to Texas A&M firing Fisher last season.

    Until Saturday, no team other than Alabama had beaten Georgia since the 2020 season.

    Beating Georgia has revived Ole Miss’ season and is causing concern among the College Football Playoff selection committee.

    The Rebels, ranked No. 16 in the initial CFP rankings, should certainly move to the right side of the playoff bubble, but at whose expense?

    As many as seven SEC teams could finish with records of 10-2 or better.

    Georgia, ranked No. 3 last week by the CFP Committee, will host No. 7 Tennessee next week.

    If the Bulldogs suffer a third loss, would the committee show enough backbone to boot Georgia?

    The Bulldogs are coming off one of their most impressive wins of the season – going to Austin and beating Texas – but I don’t foresee room for a three-loss qualifier in this crowded bubble.

    What about Tennessee (8-1)? Would a loss at Georgia the week after Ole Miss beat the Bulldogs put the Vols in danger? It is possible depending on how many teams block the bubble on selection day.

    Meanwhile, Ole Miss closes with Florida and Mississippi State, offering a chance for two big wins to burnish its resume.

    By December, the Rebels must put aside the question of whether they will make the playoffs and replace it with the question of whether they should be seeded high enough to host a first-round match.

    Unbothered by the monkey, Kiffin’s Rebels were able to make noise in the CFP bracket.

    Here’s what else I see in this view from the “Topp Rope”:

    Familiar story for Georgia’s Carson Beck

    Last weekend I raised the question of whether Smart should consider switching quarterbacks and giving backup Gunner Stockton a look to change the direction of the offense in light of Beck’s increasing woes.

    I now raise that question with renewed vigor.

    Beck just isn’t having it this season. His offensive line didn’t do him any favors against Ole Miss, but the fact remains that Georgia’s quarterback doesn’t exude enough offensive life.

    Stockton’s mobility would provide another wrinkle, but Smart abhors changing quarterbacks. Three years ago, it took multiple injuries to JT Daniels for Smart to finally rely on Stetson Bennett IV as QB1.

    Beck had two turnovers in this loss, giving him 14 turnovers in the past six games.

    How little Smart must think of Stockton to stick with Beck. Or Smart simply refuses to see the big picture that Beck’s performance is pushing Georgia to the brink of playoff elimination.

    “I thought Carson played well, guys,” Smart said after Beck threw for 186 yards. “I thought he played well.”

    Smart watched a different game than the rest of us.

    Miami in trouble

    Miami played with fire one too many times. The Hurricanes ultimately fell in a 28-23 loss to Georgia Tech.

    Miami previously engineered three second-half comebacks on the shoulders of Cam Ward en route to fourth in the initial CFP rankings. The problem with that strategy is that your quarterback has to be Superman every week.

    Georgia Tech’s ball-control offense and relentless pass rush on defense prevented any Miami theatrics.

    The ACC joins the Big 12 and bills itself as a one-bid conference. The ACC championship game, projected as SMU vs. Miami, starts off as a CFP elimination game.

    Best line I heard this week

    After Missouri scored two touchdowns in the final two minutes to beat Oklahoma 30-23, Tigers coach Eliah Drinkwitz made this proclamation:

    “This keeps us in the playoff hunt,” Drinkwitz said on the SEC Network. ‘That’s right. I said it. Playoff hunt.”

    There’s a chance Drinkwitz was just trolling us with that doozy.

    Missouri was ranked No. 24 in the initial CFP rankings, and with big losses to Texas A&M and Alabama, the Tigers would be last in line among the two-loss SEC teams for an at-large bid.

    But wait! If things get really crazy, Missouri could end up tied for first in the eight-way SEC standings, which would involve a painstaking tiebreaker procedure to determine which two teams are destined for the SEC championship game. And the SEC champion will reach the playoffs.

    So you’re telling me there’s a chance?!

    Not really, but it’s a good post-game quote.

    Three and out

    1. If Colorado closes with wins against Utah, Kansas and Oklahoma State, all of which are unranked, it will qualify for the Big 12 championship game. And if it wins the Big 12 championship, it’s in the playoffs. Oh, mom. Deion Sanders is four wins away from winning the CFP.

    2. Tuesday’s CFP Rankings Top 12 Prediction: 1. Oregon, 2. Ohio State, 3. Texas, 4. Penn State, 5. Tennessee, 6. Indiana, 7. Alabama, 8. BYU, 9. Notre Dame, 10. Ole Miss, 11. Georgia, 12. Miami.

    3. My latest “Topp Rope” playoff projection: Oregon (Big Ten), Alabama (SEC), Miami (ACC), BYU (Big 12), Boise State (Group of Five), plus at-large selections Ole Miss, Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio State, Penn State, Notre Dame. Next: Indiana, SMU, Colorado, Texas A&M, Army, Tulane.

    Blake Toppmeyer is the national college football columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer. The “Topp Rope” is his football column published in the USA TODAY Network. Subscribe to read his entire columnS.

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