"He Lost His Quarterback": Lane Kiffin Pokes Kirby Smart in Sensitive Spot

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The playoff expansion is creating much more chaos than expected. Well, college football increasing its format to 16 or 24 teams could eliminate championship games like the SEC title game. And Kirby Smart’s against it. But who would have thought that support would put Smart in a tough spot with Lane Kiffin?

So, with the entire college football world debating over the 16 or 24 format and whether to keep championship games or not, Kirby Smart openly supported the stance, saying that he thinks the SEC title game still means a lot in terms of playoffs. Teams get an advantage from it. But then he also mentioned that things should change with a 16 or 24-team playoff format coming in, not in 12 team.

But despite that, Lane Kiffin openly questioned him during SEC Media Days, saying, “He can say he loves the game, but did he love it when he lost his quarterback in the game?”

Let us recall what happened. Kirby Smart’s team won the SEC title, but after the game, their star quarterback couldn’t lift his throwing arm. A backup had to step in for the biggest games. That’s what Kiffin is pointing to. If you love the SEC title game so much, why accept the risk of losing your best player before the real fight begins?

In December 2024, Carson Beck suffered an elbow injury in the SEC title game against Texas. Kirby Smart’s Georgia won 22–19 in overtime, but Beck couldn’t continue after the first half. After the game, Beck couldn’t return to the field, and Gunner Stockton took over. That’s exactly what Lane Kiffin is highlighting: conference title games can create injury risks before the playoffs. That struggle showed in Georgia’s next game. Stockton, a little-used backup, struggled against Notre Dame, and Georgia lost in the quarterfinals 23–10.

The proposed 24-team College Football Playoff would create a much bigger postseason tournament than the current 12-team format. Under the proposed 24-team playoff, the committee would select 23 teams, with one automatic bid for the highest-ranked Group of 5 conference champion. Instead of automatically placing conference champions into the playoffs, the selection committee would mainly focus on ranking the best overall teams.

This means winning a conference championship would not matter as much as it does now. The format would also reward the top teams in the rankings, with the top eight teams receiving first-round byes. The remaining teams would compete in eight first-round playoff games played on college campuses. After that, the second round would also feature eight games hosted on campus sites.

In short, the new system would work more like the NFL playoffs. Instead of playing a conference title game first, teams would go directly into a large national playoff bracket. Now, all other conferences are on board with this approach except the SEC, as they still need time to figure out what’s best for them. Even SEC commissioner Greg Sankey doesn’t have a fixed timeline for the confirmation.

“I do not anticipate any decisions on the College Football Playoff, just so we’re clear, so we can tamp that down,” Sankey said. “We have time. We’ll have an informed discussion.”

Removing title games might also affect fans’ sentiments and could take a hard hit on their revenue, too. The conference games generate massive viewership and income for the SEC. As per Sports Media Watch, the Alabama vs Georgia championship game last year averaged 16.86 million viewers on ABC. So, Kiffin might show dissatisfaction with the entire stance, but the conference clearly needs time.

Now, after taking a dig at Kirby Smart, Lane Kiffin also took a shot at Pete Golding.

Lane Kiffin’s controversial take on Ole Miss’s playoff loss

Lane Kiffin is not done talking about his exit from Ole Miss, even after becoming LSU’s new head coach. Kiffin left Ole Miss after the 2025 regular season while the Rebels were still competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Many were surprised because he left the program during an important postseason run and joined LSU.

However, Kiffin still believes Ole Miss would have reached the National Championship Game if he had stayed with the team during the playoff. In an interview with USA Today’s Blake Toppmeyer, Kiffin confidently said Ole Miss would have defeated Miami in the Fiesta Bowl if he had still been the head coach. He said, “We ain’t losing to Miami.”

But Ole Miss eventually lost a close 31-27 game to Miami. Lane Kiffin believes Ole Miss lost to Miami partly because Pete Golding had a different job during the game. During the regular season, Golding focused only on coaching the defense from the press box, while Kiffin stayed on the sideline and managed the offense and the entire team. That setup worked well all season.

But after Kiffin left for LSU, Golding had to take all the responsibilities. Kiffin further explained his theory and also stood firm in it.

“If anyone wants to argue that theory, that if everything is kept intact, we’re not in the national championship, what are you going to argue?” He also added, “He knows he calls it way better up (in the booth), especially when you’ve been up there all year, you know?”

Looks like Lane Kiffin isn’t stopping anytime soon from dropping truth bombs.

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