“The Joneses of the SEC.” If there is one person out there who created one of the best “Rise to Glory” stories in the 2024 season, then it has to be Lane Kiffin. Last year, Ole Miss had a solid 11-2 run. Averaging around 30+ points in every game and holding back their opponents to 20 points average. However, then came Georgia. Kirby Smart and Co. blew Lane Kiffin and his boys out of the water. And this became the only game of their 2023 season where Ole Miss went for 17 points while Dawgs ran them over with 52. See, Lane Kiffin wanted revenge. More than that, he wanted to make Oxford proud.

And that he did. Holding back the Bulldogs at only 10 points and tearing through the famous Smart offensive line using the perfect defense, Kiffin made Ole Miss the new champs of the season. And this win had a massive ripple effect. As Chris Phillips pointed out on Instagram, “When you go to some SEC towns, you’re drinking keg beer out of trash cans, ripping some shots. That’s great. In Oxford, I found myself on a Friday night at the square going to a cigar lounge and sipping an old-fashioned, like, it was a different vibe.” This should tell you all you need to know about how Kiffin and the Rebels have managed to make their fans proud.

This entire win managed to push Ole Miss from the 16th spot on the CFP list to the 11th spot in one go. This is massive for the team. However, credit where credit is due, Kiffin wouldn’t have been able to achieve this feat if it wasn’t for his QB Jaxson Dart. And no, I’m not talking about the plays he made and stuff.

To win against Georgia, you would need one of the best defensive lineups, and that is where Dart comes in. Back in August, Stephen Willis had mentioned, “This 2024 team is Jaxson Dart’s team, not Lane Kiffin’s team.” The entire 2024 roster was built around Dart. This guy helped Kiffin with the portal transfers and had picked some of the best players out there who matched with his own skill set.

And the result of that? Bulldogs going scoreless in the 2nd and 4th quarters. This is something straight out of a storybook. However, the Rebels and Kiffin are in troubled waters. See, right now, Kiffin and his boys are on an 8-2 run. One more loss would directly translate to no CFP for the boys. On the other hand, the Dawgs didn’t get the short end of the stick.

Beating Kirby Smart does nothing

And why do we say this? See, in CFB, the strength of the schedule is a big deal. For the Bulldogs, they have arguably one of the toughest schedules this season; Bama, Vols, Ole Miss, and Longhorns. And through that, they have only managed to lose 2 games. One was Bama, and the next was Ole Miss.

Back on The Pat McAfee Show, Heather Dinich pointed out, “Georgia has the toughest schedule in the country. That’s why I treat them differently and I think the committee could too.” You could argue that, as per the latest CFP list, the Dawgs are in the 12th spot, but you also have to keep in mind that the playoff decision still stays with the committee.

If they decided to push the Bulldogs to the CFP despite their losses, it would solely be because of their tough schedule. But Ole Miss still has a chance at winning it all. With a 10-2 run, no one can stop them, and if we are lucky, maybe we will find them facing off against Bama (Why Bama? Well, last season, the 2nd loss Kiffin had was against Bama).