The Division 1 College Football Playoffs are heating up, and there have already been massive changes and possible outcomes for this year’s playoffs. The headliner has been coming out of Oxford, Mississippi where former Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has signed a seven-year 91 million dollar deal according to CBSsports.com. The signing comes at a crucial time when Ole Miss was having a season to remember, ranked sixth in the country and with an 11-1 record just narrowly missing the SEC championship. Kiffin will not coach the Rebels in the NCAA championship bracket after leading them to the playoffs; instead, Pete Golding, the defensive coordinator, will take Kiffin’s spot to lead the team in pursuit of a possible National Championship.
Championship season for all Power Five conferences is this weekend marking the last chance for bubble teams to make a push for the playoffs. UVA, JMU, Tulane and North Texas are making major headlines. All four of these teams have an over 50% chance of making the playoffs but the ACC could be the controller of them all. UVA and Duke play in the ACC Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina on Dec. 6. Duke is currently sitting in second in the ACC but they have a 7-5 record and are out of playoff contention. UVA 10-2 but Duke can spoil their Cinderella story by beating them in the championship creating an opening for teams like JMU who needs to beat Troy in the Sun Belt Championship and the winner of the American (North Texas versus Tulane) to make the playoffs as a 12 seed.
The SEC and Big 10 already have automatic teams qualified for a spot but the ACC is battling for a team to make it to the playoffs. Smaller conferences like the American Athletic Conference and the Sun Belt Conference would generate significant amounts of attention for these schools which would create better recruiting opportunities and more money for athletics and NIL opportunities.
