Fox Sports' Joel Klatt Reveals Odds Ole Miss Football Makes College Football Playoff

Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels continue navigating a critical offseason in Oxford with the program preparing to debut a new-look roster this fall.

With the Rebels dialed in on a new era in the Magnolia State without signal-caller Jaxson Dart, the program will create a new identity during the 2025 season.

But with Kiffin at the helm, the fanbase remains hopeful that the program can compete for a National Championship despite roster reconstruction.

Now, with the season vastly approaching, national analysts have begun logging predictions on the likelihood that the Ole Miss Rebels can reach this year's College Football Playoff.

The latest analyst to chime in: Fox Sports Joel Klatt.

Klatt picked the Rebels as his second most likely team to punch a ticket to the College Football Playoff for the first time.

“They’ve got to replace a ton of talent,” Klatt said on The Joel Klatt Show. “But I trust Lane Kiffin. He’s not only great at tweeting, he whines a lot about the playoff, which we know, but the guy can coach.

"Lane’s an excellent coach. He’s one of the best coaches in America. I think that people love to hate on Lane, but everywhere he’s been he’s done an excellent job. He’s grown. He’s matured.”

It's set to be a new-look roster in the Magnolia State under Kiffin, but this isn't the Ole Miss shot-caller's first time navigating roster turnover.

Kiffin has grown accustomed to utilizing the NCAA Transfer Portal where he's once again set to make the roster gel.

“They are replacing 18 starters, including eight draft picks, five on defense,” Klatt detailed. “How do they replace them? The No. 4 transfer class with 30 transfers. Wild. They have to replace Jaxson Dart. Austin Simmons. This is also a bet on Kiffin’s offense.

“Kiffin is going to be able to score points. I just believe that. It’s a QB-friendly offense, it’s a QB-friendly situation. Simmons has been in the system for two years, showed what he can do when he came in for a short time during that first half of the win over Georgia, leading them down the field for a touchdown. So he’s got some success in his back pocket.”

Klatt then broke down the Ole Miss Rebels' 2025 schedule with games that immediately caught his attention.

“OK, so let’s look at this. Toughest games: home against LSU, at Georgia, at Oklahoma, home against South Carolina, home against Florida,” Klatt said. “I believe that if they go 3-2 in these five games, three of which are at home, that they can go to the playoff.

“Do I think they can beat Oklahoma? Yes. Do I think they can beat one of the three — LSU, South Carolina or Florida? Yes. What’s the most likely one? Probably South Carolina, in my estimation. Those are some good quarterbacks you’ve got to play.

"Those are some really good quarterbacks. At Georgia is just tough, and then you’re going to have (Garrett) Nussmeier at LSU, (LaNorris) Sellers at South Carolina, (DJ) Lagway at Florida and (John) Mateer at Oklahoma. So 3-2 in those five and Ole Miss is going to have a great shot to go to the playoff.”

Ole Miss enters the 2025 season with College Football Playoff expectations, according to most analysts, with Week 1 inching closer on Aug. 30 against Georgia State at Vaught Hemingway Stadium.