Heading into the next round of the College Football Playoff, there’s a growing narrative that Ole Miss is walking into a buzzsaw without Lane Kiffin at the helm. The Rebels cruised past Tulane in their first matchup, but now they’re staring down a Georgia team that’s been a powerhouse under Kirby Smart.
Most of the college football world sees this as a mismatch. Kirby Smart doesn’t.
Make no mistake-Smart knows losing a head coach like Kiffin matters. But he’s not buying the idea that Ole Miss is suddenly toothless without him. In fact, he made it clear: this is still a dangerous offense.
“The offensive coordinator and the staff is still all there,” Smart said. “They're not going to make overhaul or make hard changes.
They've got something that works well. They're playing at a really high level offensively.”
And he’s not wrong. While Kiffin’s departure is the headline, the core of what made Ole Miss tick this season is still intact.
The offensive staff, including the coordinator who helped design one of the most explosive schemes in the country, remains in place. Continuity like that matters-especially when you’re facing a defense like Georgia’s.
Let’s not forget what happened the last time these two teams met. Ole Miss came out firing and didn’t stop.
The Rebels scored touchdowns on each of their first five possessions against Georgia. That’s not a typo.
They carved up a defense that’s typically among the best in the nation, and it wasn’t until the fourth quarter that Georgia finally started to slow them down. For a program that prides itself on defensive dominance, that was a rare-and humbling-experience.
That first meeting is exactly why Smart isn’t taking this rematch lightly. He knows Ole Miss has the blueprint.
They’ve already done it once. And while duplicating that kind of performance is never easy, especially against a team as well-coached and talent-rich as Georgia, the Rebels have reason to believe they can make lightning strike twice.
Still, public sentiment is leaning heavily toward Georgia. The Bulldogs are favored by a touchdown, and many expect the margin to be even wider.
But Smart isn’t buying the hype. He’s preparing for a fight, not a walkover.
This isn’t just coach-speak. It’s the voice of someone who’s seen firsthand what Ole Miss is capable of, with or without Lane Kiffin on the sideline.
The Rebels may be underdogs, but they’re not coming in empty-handed. They’ve got the same offensive minds that gave Georgia fits the first time around-and they’ve already proven they can hang with the big dogs.
So while the spotlight may be on Georgia, don’t sleep on Ole Miss. Kirby Smart sure isn’t.