They won't quite get there.
Paul Finebaum Names SEC Program That Will Just Miss the College Football Playoff in 2025 originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The SEC Media Days took place this week, generating increased excitement and anticipation for the 2025 season.
Several teams are looking to make the necessary adjustments in order to become contenders in the conference and the College Football Playoff race. This is the goal for the Ole Miss Rebels, who have just achieved their third season with ten or more wins in the last four years.
The Rebels narrowly missed the playoffs last season, which would have marked their first appearance. On "The Paul Finebaum Show," the SEC Network analyst predicted that Ole Miss will again narrowly miss the postseason tournament.
"This year's team is a little bit more under the radar," Finebaum said. "But they still have a difficult schedule, everyone does, we know that. But, they have to go to Georgia, a school they beat at home. I don't think they can do that. I think they're going to fall right outside the cutline. I think the SEC is looking at four schools, that's obviously Texas, Georgia, Alabama and, I believe, LSU."
Head coach Lane Kiffin faces a challenging task ahead as he must replace several key players from last year's team. The most significant loss is quarterback Jaxson Dart, who had an impressive season, throwing for 4,279 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and just six interceptions, while completing 69.3% of his passes. His remarkable performance earned him a first-round selection by the New York Giants in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The defense experienced significant losses, managing to return only 45% of its production, which ranks 104th in the nation. This comes after a strong season in which the Rebels were ranked No. 14 in total defense, No. 2 in rush defense and No. 2 in scoring defense.
A key player in that defense was defensive tackle Walter Nolen, who concluded the season with 14 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks before being selected in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. Furthermore, Ole Miss will be missing five of its top six sack leaders from the previous season.
The Rebels will begin their season against Georgia State at 7:45 p.m. ET on Aug. 30.
Related: Paul Finebaum Names SEC Team With a 'Real Shot' of Making the Playoffs for the First Time
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: General Sports
