Kiffin makes CFP case for Ole Miss over Alabama, South Carolina

Lane Kiffin believes there are three bubble teams fighting for the last spot in the College Football Playoff 12-team field, and the Ole Miss head coach thinks the Rebels should be in.

Ole Miss beat Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl to finish its regular season 9-3, the same record held by Alabama and South Carolina. The Crimson Tide claimed an Iron Bowl victory over Auburn on Saturday and the Gamecocks upset Clemson, earning a rivalry triumph over the nation's 12th-ranked team that could impress the playoff committee. Ole Miss entered the weekend as the No. 14 team in the nation, while Alabama and South Carolina ranked at No. 13 and 15, respectively.

Despite South Carolina's win, Kiffin believes the Gamecocks should no longer be in the playoff race.

"South Carolina lost to (Ole Miss and Alabama), and their best win is against Clemson," Kiffin wrote. "Ole Miss and Alabama's best win is against Georgia. Georgia beat Clemson 34-3. Safe to say that South Carolina is out."

"I have great respect for South Carolina," Kiffin told 247Sports' Tyler Komis. "They're a really good team. Well coached, really good players. But when you just said South Carolina jumping us - why do we even play games? If South Carolina were to jump us, and we play in the same conference with a very similar schedule, but the same record. Normally you would say, 'What would happen if they played each other?' Well, we did."

Kiffin also made a case to rank his team over the Crimson Tide, but he's afraid his SEC rivals would only get in because of their "brand."

"Clearly, Ole Miss should be in the playoff over Alabama, but Bama is the bigger brand and more than likely will get in over Ole Miss," Kiffin said.

Kiffin supported his idea by comparing how the Rebels and Crimson Tide performed against similar competition this season. He also highlighted his team's better point differential.

Ole Miss has only a 3% chance of making the playoff, according to ESPN's Playoff Predictor. Alabama and South Carolina currently have a 30% and 21% chance, respectively.

Kiffin's viral tweet caught Bret Bielema's attention, and the Illinois head coach compared what the Rebels and Fighting Illini did this season. Bielema believes he coached one of the best teams in the country. His outfit was ranked 23rd in the CFP rankings last week and also finished the regular season 9-3 after beating Northwestern.

"How about we just take the best 12 teams and see where it goes," he wrote.

The CFP is debuting a 12-team playoff format this season. The committee will select a field featuring the five conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked teams. The four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded one through four and receive a first-round bye.

A new edition of the CFP rankings will be announced Tuesday before Selection Day on Dec. 8.