Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin keeps the Rebels squad grounded despite being CFP favorites this season: "Outside noise means nothing"

After a strong spring portal showing, the Ole Miss Rebels under coach Lane Kiffin have been receiving preseason hype as potential challengers for the Southeastern Conference championship game. In addition, the Rebels are being mentioned as one of the contenders for the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.

Kiffin, who is an experienced operator, knows that the preseason hype can be a poisoned chalice for any team, and after a fall practice on Thursday, he told reporters that he talked to his players to temper the expectations (Timestamp: 0:45):

“I spent a lot of time talking to them in the first meeting about outside expectations, hype, accolades and those things and how little those mean,” Kiffin said. “This team hasn’t won any games — they haven’t played together.

"And even the players that have had previous success here or other places, that doesn’t mean anything either. Just making sure that they understand whether it’s preseason rankings, whether it’s as a team, position group, individuals, how that means nothing.

“And those (expectations) can always be the exact opposite a lot of times from what can happen by the end of the year, so we have a lot of work to do.”

The hype behind Lane Kiffin and the Rebels justified

Last season, Lane Kiffin led the Ole Miss Rebels to an 11-2 record, the school's second consecutive 10-win season. The Rebels also returned several starters from last season's team including influential running back Ulysses Bentley IV.

Most of the hype has been reserved for quarterback Jaxson Dart, who is considered one of the best returning QBs. An ESPN report firmly placed the fortunes of Ole Miss next season on the shoulders of the mercurial quarterback and the outspoken coach.

“The Lane Train is never boring, but he recently has added more substance to the entertainment factor,” the ESPN report stated. “After two AP top 12 finishes in the past three seasons, Ole Miss made a significant push in the portal/NIL space and should deliver a team capable of earning the school's first CFP berth.”

With the retirement of Alabama coach Nick Saban and the addition of the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners to the SEC, the conference is in transition. There has never been a better time for Lane Kiffin to establish himself and the Rebels as contenders for the championship game and expanded college football playoffs.