The first round of the 2025-26 college football playoffs is slated to begin on December 19, 2025, and a number of teams, despite their impressive performance all season, could face challenges heading into the playoff leg of the season with some major absentees.
The likes of the Ole Miss Rebels and the James Madison Dukes both have had a stellar campaign so far this season, with an overall record of 11-1 each, which means that they are occupying the first spot in the SEC and the Sun Belt, respectively.
But the past week has been no less of a coaching nightmare for both the programs, as both Lane Kiffin and Bob Chesney announced their departure from Ole Miss and JMU, respectively.
However, unlike Ole Miss, where athletic director Keith Carter announced Pete Golding as Kiffin’s successor, meaning Kiffin won’t be leading Ole Miss into the playoffs, Bob Chesney will leave JMU after the Dukes’ playoffs this season.
As per college football protocols, a committee will scrutinize teams and their rankings, which subsequently might take a hit in the case of unavailability of key players or coaches who were an integral part of the team during their regular season.
“Other relevant factors such as unavailability of key players and coaches that may have affected a team’s performance during the season or likely will affect its post season performance,” States the protocols.
So the protocol suggests that Ole Miss will not be out of playoff contention with Kiffin’s absence and might just experience a dip in their rankings if the committee comes to the conclusion that Kiffin’s departure may affect Ole Miss’ postseason performance.
However, the case with JMU is a bit different since Chesney is touted to continue to coach JMU for the playoffs. However, the qualification is contingent on other teams’ performance. JMU, despite emerging as East Division champions and earning a sub-belt championship spot, have their playoff hopes pinned on winning the ACC, which then means that a total of two Group 5 teams will qualify for the playoffs.
However, as per projections, Tulane and North Texas have a better chance of qualifying from the Group of 5 considering Tulane’s ranking by the committee and North Texas’ strength of the conference this campaign.
Kiffin, Chesney To Move Bases with Extragavant Contracts
Kiffin, after finalizing a $91 million, seven-year deal with the LSU Tigers to replace former head coach Brian Kelly, was involved in an ugly public turmoil with Ole Miss. The coach reportedly issued an ultimatum to the Rebels, essentially threatening them to take a major chunk of his staff from Oxford to Louisiana if not allowed to coach Ole Miss in the playoffs.
Eventually, Kiffin had to choose between LSU and Ole Miss, with the latter promoting defensive coordinator Pete Golding to lead the side into their playoff leg.
Chesney also inked a new contract at UCLA, replacing Deshaun Foster, with a reported monetary jump of $6 million and $7 million annually from his previous $833,495 paycheck of his 2025 season with the Dukes.
Read More:
- Bob Chesney Contract: How Much Is UCLA Paying Deshaun Foster’s Replacement?
- 9 New Football Coaches Announced As Lane Kiffin’s LSU Move Kickstarts Yet Another Whirlwind Coaching Carousel Feat. Florida
- Ole Miss’ College Football Playoff Success Still In Lane Kiffin’s Best Interest As LSU Reveals Major Decision
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