Injury Reports: How Would Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss Approach Potential New SEC Rule?

How would the Ole Miss Rebels and head coach Lane Kiffin handle a potential new rule from the Southeastern Conference?

Nov 23, 2023; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin talks with the referees during the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports | Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

With college football evolving so rapidly in the past 36 months, it seems that conferences like the SEC have adopted some of the NFL's philosophies. One of the new rules being debated by commissioner Greg Sankey and other leaders of the SEC is to add injury reports to the mix, like ones you would see Sunday morning before the slate of NFL games.

As is the case with any new development in the SEC, the Ole Miss Rebels would be affected by this rule addition, but how would head coach Lane Kiffin approach it? He is notorious for not discussing injuries in press conference settings, so would that have to change?

Kiffin was asked this week at the SEC Spring Meetings in Destin about his stance on the potential implementation of this new rule.

"It sounds like that's where we're going, much more like the NFL," Kiffin said. "Again, we kind of pick and choose which things we want to do like that. I understand why it is."

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This new rule could have two have two different effects on how the game is managed and consumed. Coaches couldn't truly hide injuries and leave opponents and fans in the dark as to whether or not a certain player will suit up on Saturday. This would certainly affect Ole Miss as Kiffin has been known to do this to gain any advantage he can since he arrived in Oxford. It's hard to prepare when you don't quite know what or who to expect.

Another angle of this rule change is in the betting markets. The sports gambling sector has blown up, and college football is one of the big ticket items come August. With injury reports in SEC, it will allow for sportsbooks to analyze and correctly determine the odds.

Furthermore, this rule could also bring to light off-the-field issues. In the past, if a player was suspended, they might be listed as injured. With this new rule, hiding those sorts of things could be more challenging for the coaching staffs in the SEC.

This is interesting idea and, if implemented, would change a lot about how you follow your team on Saturdays. As far as Ole Miss is concerned, it would also change a lot about the team's philosophy and strategy in preparing for a given opponent each week.