Lane Kiffin Goes Off on College Football Playoff Committee

SEC Media Days has turned to the LSU Tigers in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday. Alongside Lane Kiffin, linebackers TJ Dottery and Whit Weeks, as well as tight end Trey'Dez Green, will represent LSU.

There are a lot of unknowns about this Tigers roster as they brought in plenty of new players through the transfer portal. Yet, the expectation for LSU in 2026 is to compete at the top of the SEC and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff.

At the end of every regular season, the CFP criteria spark heated debates, and Kiffin was asked about it on Thursday.

Kiffin Doesn't Hold Back on the CFP

Louisiana State Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin looks on. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This season, each SEC team will now play nine conference games as opposed to eight. LSU's non-conference schedule features Clemson, Louisiana Tech, and McNeese.

Per Brett McMurphy of On3.com, Kiffin said about the nine-game schedule, "My concern is the [College Football Playoff] selection process is not fixed until it is truly fixed to reward strength of schedule. If we keep playing each other, we don't prove we're better than anyone else."

The Tigers will play multiple CFP hopefuls this season. The conference schedule starts at Ole Miss as Kiffin will make his return to Oxford. Home games against Texas A&M, Alabama, and Texas will put LSU to the test, which means the margin for error is thin.

Kiffin spoke a bit more about the challenges of a nine-game schedule. In a video from CFB Kings on X, Kiffin said, "Until we can get into a world where people can actually look at teams and say, that team that is 9-3 with their schedule is a better team than that 11-1 in a different conference, which now I think we aren't even close to doing that, I think it causes problems."

Does Kiffin Have a Point?

LSU running back Harlem Berry escapes a defender. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It seems to be a topic of conversation with the SEC every season. There is usually one SEC team that is 9-3 and is trying to make a case for the CFP. Texas was that team a season ago, and Kiffin's Rebels were in that position two years ago.

The conference schedule is a grind. There will be some major challenges, and no one is denying that. But winning games solves that issue. If the Tigers handle business, there won't be a discussion about strength of schedule.

The CFP criteria are flawed, but the teams that win should get rewarded. Most teams in the CFP discussion will have played tough games and can control their own fate.

Win the games on the schedule, and LSU won't be pleading its case for a playoff spot. With the roster Kiffin has assembled, winning games should be a common occurrence in 2026.

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