Tennessee football vs Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss could continue in 2024 even if they don't play | Adams
Lane Kiffin’s relationship with Tennessee football gets rekindled just often enough to remind you of the controversial history between the two.
It started in January 2010 when Kiffin left Knoxville so fast you might have thought the city was on fire. Only a mattress was burning, but the UT fan base was aflame with anger upon learning its football coach was abandoning the Vols for Southern California after just one year on the job.
Kiffin returned to Neyland Stadium in 2014 as Alabama's offensive coordinator and in 2021 as coach of Ole Miss. Kiffin’s offense scored 27 points in the first 18 minutes in his first game back. His next trip was more memorable.
He still has a memento from the game. The yellow golf ball stood out among the various debris thrown onto the field in response to a fourth-quarter officials call that went against the Vols.
Kiffin won both games. And you could say he won again in December when he took two Tennessee defensive starters, Tyler Baron and Tamarion McDonald, from the transfer portal. After committing to the Rebels, both Baron and McDonald later flipped to Louisville as their transfer destination.
I expect the Tennessee-Kiffin competition to resume in the 2024 season, even though the Vols and Rebels won’t be playing one another in the revamped, 16-team SEC.
As we look ahead to the 2024 season – and the 12-team playoff awaiting at season’s end – half a dozen SEC teams could be competing to join the championship field. Based on this past season, Texas, Alabama and Georgia might be the SEC favorites to qualify for the College Football playoff. Texas and Alabama both made the CFP this past season, and Georgia came tantalizingly coach after winning back-to-back national championships.
But there’s still playoff room for more SEC teams. That’s where Tennessee and Ole Miss could come in.
The Vols have had three consecutive winning seasons and won 11 games in 2022 under coach Josh Heupel. The Rebels also have posted three consecutive winning seasons and won 11 games in 2023 under Kiffin.
Both programs could be regarded as playoff candidates. And it wouldn’t be shocking if they ended up competing for the last at-large playoff berth.
Kiffin will return some of the key players: quarterback Jaxson Dart and wide receivers Trey Harris and Jordan Watkins, who combined for more than 100 catches in 2023.
Transfers could further boost the offense. Ole Miss has added wide receiver Antwane Wells from South Carolina, and Deion Smith, the No. 1 juco wide receiver. Wells was injured most of this past season but made first-team All-SEC in 2022.
Kiffin has done even more in the portal to bolster the defense. He has signed five defensive backs, Arkansas linebacker Chris Paul, Texas A&M tackle Walter Nolen, and a proven SEC pass rusher in Florida’s Princely Umanmielen.
Heupel also has taken positive steps in the postseason. He has kept his offensive line almost intact, signed three defensive backs who should start, and filled other positions of need at wide receiver and tight end through the portal.
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Ole Miss and Tennessee have comparable schedules in 2024. They should be favored in at least nine games. The Rebels’ toughest games should be against LSU, Georgia and Oklahoma. Tennessee’s toughest games should be against Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma.
When you view those regular-season schedules from a playoff perspective, Kiffin's Rebels and Vols could be competing against each other every Saturday.
.John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football, Lane Kiffin's Rebels could compete for CFP spot
