Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin didn't hold back in his recent press conference, expressing his frustration with the SEC's scheduling decisions. The subject of his ire? LSU consistently landing prime-time slots, while his own team, Ole Miss, is often stuck with earlier game times.
Kiffin's frustration was evident as he referenced the latest schedule release, pointing out LSU’s apparent advantage.
“So, who went at night? LSU gets to play at night again, I guess? Shocker. That’s two for two for them,” Kiffin said via On3 Sports. “I feel bad for our fans not having one night conference game. It’s really unfortunate for them. So, whatever. It’s just really disappointing but it is what it is.”
Lane Kiffin called out the SEC for always giving LSU night games:
— On3 (@On3sports) October 28, 2024
“LSU gets to play at night again, I guess? Shocker. That’s two for two for them. I feel bad for our fans not having one night conference game.”
(h/t @NextRoundLive) https://t.co/lbMxcvZGwn pic.twitter.com/F2j1KSWvV0
The SEC has a longstanding tradition of scheduling marquee matchups for night games, with LSU often being a beneficiary. This is especially true now with ESPN holding the exclusive rights to the conference's broadcasts.
Of course, Kiffin isn't the only coach who feels that these prime-time games offer teams like LSU a significant home-field advantage, especially under the lights in front of a raucous Death Valley crowd. LSU beat Ole Miss at home 29-26 in overtime a couple of weeks ago, handing the Rebels their second loss of the season.
LSU will now have an open date before hosting Alabama on Saturday, November 9. That game has been announced for 7:30 p.m. E.T. on ABC.
Ole Miss is currently hanging on by a thread in the College Football Playoff race. If the Rebels lose another game, they'll likely be eliminated from contention. With a 2-2 record in the SEC, Ole Miss will need to win out and hope for a couple of breaks to go their way if they want to make it to Atlanta.
Ole Miss will travel to Arkansas this weekend for a noon matchup. Then, the Rebels will return home for a 3:30 p.m. game against the Georgia Bulldogs.