The Ole Miss Rebels may not reach the College Football Playoff this season, but head coach Lane Kiffin doesn’t think a particular SEC program should jump his team to get into the field.

On a Sunday afternoon Zoom call with local media, Kiffin was asked about the potential of the South Carolina Gamecocks jumping the Rebels in this week’s CFP Rankings. Carolina has won six straight games to finish the regular season at 9-3, including picking up a 17-14 win over in-state rival Clemson on Saturday.

One of the Gamecocks’ three losses just so happens to be a 24-point defeat against Ole Miss on Oct. 5. It’s not yet known what the College Football Playoff committee will do in this week’s rankings, but is there an argument for a red-hot Carolina team to jump Ole Miss?

The Rebels were ranked No. 14 in last week’s CFP Top 25, and the Gamecocks were at No. 15.

“First off, I have great respect for South Carolina,” Kiffin said. “I think they’re a really good team. Really good team. Well-coached, really good players. But when you just said that, South Carolina jumping us, why do we even play games?

“Normally you’d say, ‘Well, what would happen if they played each other?’ Well we did, and we went to their place and ran them out of their place. A 24-point SEC win, and we’re just handing the ball off in the fourth quarter to get out of there. If the committee is even thinking about that, then what do you play the games for?”

Kiffin then circled back to his original point in his lengthy quote to hammer home his point. Ole Miss beat South Carolina 27-3 in early October, and he’s confident that his team would still win in that matchup, if it were played today.

“That’s what everybody always says: ‘What if this team played this? Then how would they do?’” Kiffin said. “That’s the hard thing in comparing these different conferences. Well we did at their place, and it wasn’t even close. We could still be playing the game, and they still might not have scored a touchdown.”

Ole Miss finished the regular season 9-3, and it seems that its chance to return to the College Football Playoff conversation is on life support. Still, it will be keeping a close eye on the new edition of CFP Rankings that are revealed on Tuesday night.

• Did South Carolina do enough in win over Clemson to win over CFP selection committee? Maybe, if they forget about losses to Alabama and Ole Miss.
• Miami’s loss kept Clemson alive and threw open the door to discussion about a three-loss SEC team entering the field.
• Ryan Day’s latest loss to Michigan cast a pall over Ohio State, but maybe a ray of hope still exists.

Let’s play a game of yes, no, maybe so.

In this little exercise, we’ll assess teams’ playoff stock. 

Technically, no bids have been awarded, but we don’t need a committee to tell us No. 1 Oregon has earned a spot regardless of what happens in the Big Ten championship game.

The Ducks are more exception than rule, though, by avoiding pitfalls that other contenders kept getting sucked into.

I won’t tell you everyone on this list has earned a playoff spot, in the conventional sense, but playoff expansion combined with a wacky season full of upsets forces us to rewire what a playoff team looks like.

OPINION: Texas figured out SEC by playing like Georgia used to. Time to beat UGA at its own game

MISERY INDEX: Ryan Day and Ohio State’s unhealthy Michigan obsession flares up again

Yes, these teams are playoff bound

Oregon: The only question for the Ducks is whether they’ll be seeded No. 1 or No. 5. A game against Penn State will determine that.

Notre Dame: The Irish used their conference independence to perfection. They took advantage of their soft schedule and will rolll into the playoff red hot after recovering from a Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois. While other playoff teams beat up on each other in conference championship games, Notre Dame enjoys weekend off before a home playoff game.

Texas: Pair Texas winning the SEC with Penn State capturing the Big Ten, and you’d probably get the Longhorns snagging the No. 1 seed. Lose the SEC to Georgia, and the Longhorns would remain a strong candidate to host a first-round playoff game.

Tennessee: Beating Vanderbilt secured a spot for the Vols, and now the only question is whether they’ll be seeded high enough to play a first-round game at home (where they’re quite good) or the road (where they’re vulnerable).

Penn State: Ohio State’s dud against Michigan forced Penn State into the Big Ten championship game, where the Nittany Lions will risk their seed, but not their bid.

Georgia: The Bulldogs nearly lost to Georgia Tech. If they had, this game against Texas would have had the power to eliminate Georgia. As it is, the Bulldogs are safe, regardless of outcome. Uncomfortable with a three-loss SEC runner-up in the playoff? Then shrink the playoff.

Ohio State: It takes a true victim of the moment to think the Buckeyes jeopardized their bid by losing to Michigan, but they damaged their seeding. They’ll probably hover around the No. 8 or No. 9 seed line, which is the difference between hosting in Round 1 versus going on the road.

Indiana: The Hoosiers’ blowout win of Purdue, combined by losses from Miami and Clemson, solidified Indiana’s playoff footing. The No. 10 seed projects as the likeliest landing spot.

Maybe, they’ll be in the CFP bracket

SMU: The committee has been slow to recognize the Mustangs, winners of nine straight, but they can zoom to the No. 3 seed by winning the ACC crown. They still might qualify if they lose to Clemson, but that could depend on how the loss presents. SMU’s best win came against Louisville, casting a bit of doubt on its at-large résumé.

Clemson: The Tigers lost to South Carolina but managed to keep their playoff hopes afloat thanks to Miami’s loss to Syracuse that elevated Clemson into the ACC title game. A loss to SMU would eliminate Clemson. A win would unlock a bid, but likely not a bye.

Arizona State: Win the Big 12 championship, and the Sun Devils are in the playoff and vying for a bye. Lose the Big 12 championship, and it’s off to an also-ran bowl, despite an impressive turnaround season.

Iowa State: See above description for Arizona State. The same applies to the Cyclones.

Boise State: The stakes for Boise State couldn’t be higher. Beating UNLV would not only button up a playoff spot, it would thrust the Broncos into conversation for a bye, while a loss quite likely eliminates them.

UNLV: Upset the Broncos, and UNLV probably heads to the 12-seed. Lose, and that’s that.

Miami: Miami’s utter lack of a defense caught up with it in a loss to Syracuse. With a résumé pinned to victories over Louisville and Duke and losses in two of its last three games, Miami perhaps threw away its playoff bid. That probably depends on how the committee views a 10-2 ACC team compared to a three-loss SEC team.

South Carolina: Unranked in the initial CFP rankings, the Gamecocks stormed to the finish line with a lights-out defense and an improving freshman quarterback, LaNorris Sellers. Beating Clemson gave South Carolina more momentum than either Alabama or Ole Miss, but a bid for the Gamecocks would require the committee to overlook losses to Alabama and Ole Miss.

Alabama: Hard to imagine a three-loss team that lost to Vanderbilt and got trounced by Oklahoma would remain in the mix, but here we are. If strength of schedule and brand bias tip the scales, then Alabama will snag that final spot. Wins against Georgia and South Carolina bedrock Alabama’s case.

Ole Miss: The Rebels’ case nearly parallels that of Alabama: Wins against Georgia and Ole Miss are mixed around perplexing losses. The trouble is, the committee valued Alabama ahead of Ole Miss last week, so the Tide seem to have Ole Miss blocked.

No, they’re not making the playoff

Everybody else: The 18 teams listed above account for the remaining playoff contenders. If Tulane hadn’t lost to Memphis on Thursday, you could have made an argument for two Group of Five qualifiers if three-loss Clemson won the ACC, but that avenue closed with Tulane losing on Thanksgiving.

Some closing thoughts in this “Topp Rope” view of college football:

1. The clouds haven’t parted yet in Columbus, Ohio, but if the Buckeyes desire a ray of hope, here’s one: Two years ago, Michigan clubbed Ohio State at the Horseshoe. The next we saw of the Buckeyes, they were a field goal away from upsetting Georgia in the CFP semifinals.

Point being, Ryan Day wilts against Michigan, but he’s pretty good against most everyone else. Of course, that 2022 Michigan team I’m referencing was much better than the squad that beat the Buckeyes on Saturday. Still, there’s only one team in this field that beat OSU, and that loss came by a single point. The Buckeyes are down, but not out.

2. I predict the top 12 of Tuesday’s CFP rankings: 1. Oregon, 2. Texas, 3. Penn State, 4. Notre Dame, 5. Georgia, 6. Ohio State, 7. Tennessee, 8. SMU, 9. Indiana, 10. Boise State, 11. Alabama, 12. South Carolina, 13. Arizona State. First team out: South Carolina, because the Big 12 would claim an auto bid.

3. My latest “Topp Rope” playoff projection: Oregon (Big Ten), Texas (SEC), SMU (ACC), Arizona State (Big 12), Boise State (Group of Five), plus at-large selections Notre Dame, Penn State, Ohio State, Indiana, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama. Next up: South Carolina.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer. The “Topp Rope” is his football column published throughout the USA TODAY Network. Subscribe to read all of his columns.

Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney spoke to the media following the team’s 17-14 loss to South Carolina on Saturday. Here’s everything he had to say.

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Opening statement

“Well, first of all, congratulations to Shane (Beamer) and South Carolina. I mean, what an unbelievable college football game. That was college football at its best, for sure. I thought both teams both laid it on the line. It was an incredibly physical game. And games like that usually come down to a couple plays. That’s what happened, and they made the couple plays.

“But we had every opport(unity)… We never trailed in the game ’till, what a minute, eight (seconds)? And we go right down the field and we just make one mistake right there, but you got to give them credit. Again, they made a couple of plays. Obviously, the quarterback – I mean, he made two of the greatest runs you’re ever going to see. He was spectacular – just, incredible individual effort by him, and (he) was certainly the difference in the game.

“So, third-and-15 there late, we got a spy on him, and he was just better than us right there. He made an unbelievable play. Then, I was really proud of how we responded. Obviously, we’re in position to, at a minimum, get a field goal. We’ve got a timeout, we’re in a good spot. And we just made a bad decision right there. We wanted to take a shot outside, and for some reason, he scrambled. Even if it’s complete, it doesn’t help us. Now, I got to use the timeout. So, just one mistake.

“But, man, I thought I thought the kids competed their butts off. I mean, you saw the heart of the team. These games are, obviously, painful when they don’t go your way, anytime you lose – but, certainly, when you lose a rivalry game. I thought Cade (Klubnik) played his heart out. We just missed a few play plays. We had a slant that probably might go to the house, and we were inches off. But you saw some young guys out there really compete their tails off. And then I thought, defensively, they were relentless in creating some turnovers. It was, again, (a) very physical game. But at the end of the day, I thought Sellers was the difference in the game.

“I thought our crowd was awesome. I mean, it was probably as loud as I’ve heard (Death) Valley in quite a while. It was an incredible environment. And, man, it’s really disappointing that we couldn’t reward them with the win. Again, we had every opportunity (and) didn’t get it done. So, you got to give credit where credit’s due, and that’s to South Carolina – they got it done.

“So, for us, as I said going in, we had a good year. We could have had a great year, but you got to win that game to have a great year. But we’re 9-3. We got better in a lot of ways this season, in our regular season – so many positives that we can build on. We got a heck of a team – a lot of the core of our guys will be back. I thought our quarterback – even though, like I said, he had a critical mistake right there at the end – he had a heck of a year and really did a lot of great things. So, (we have) a lot to build on.

“But, man, this one… This is tough, and it hurts. It really hurts when you lose a game like that. And, again, I thought both teams laid it on the line. I mean, (they) absolutely competed to the last play. And at the end of the day, they (South Carolina) made the two plays that were the difference. So, credit to them.”

On LaNorris Sellers’ performance

“I mean, he was he was special. Again, there was just a couple times we had him. We had a few sacks. I don’t know what the number was… What do we have, three sacks? Is that what we had? (We) probably should have had six. And he just escaped – and you saw that on tape. He’s won a couple of games for them. I saw the same thing in the Missouri game. We had a couple that we had him – like, big-time, negative yardage – and, somehow, he got out. And then the couple of runs were just huge. The first one was a scramble run. And, just, he’s fast, he’s strong, he’s a really good player, he’s a competitive guy. And he was just a little bit better on a couple of those plays that were the difference in the game.

[Win two tickets to the South Carolina-Clemson MBB game]

“Again, we had plenty of opportunities. We missed a couple opportunities on offense to capitalize that were disappointing. But, again, that’s championship football. It was a great college football game, for sure. Both teams wanted it. Both teams competed with everything they had. And they made a couple critical plays that ultimately made the difference.”

On whether Swinney received explanation for officiating calls

“There were several questionable things out there today, but we still had plenty of opportunities to win the game. We had it set up – (it) just got look like we got stepped on, and we’re tripping. So, the play didn’t just get up. It was the right situation, and I think we were going to have a good a good play right there. (It) just was a tough break. We thought he (Phil Mafah) was down, but all the reviews went against us today. And then, I think we had a completed pass when they blew the whistle on that one. There’s been some strange things happening this year that I really don’t have any explanation for. But, again, we had every opportunity. They had some tough breaks, too.”

On whether Swinney’s decision for Clemson to attempt a fourth-down conversion on its second drive

“Yeah, (it was a) missed. They made a good play, and it was a huge, huge missed opportunity right there. That’s one of them. When it comes down to two plays, those are things that you look back on and, just, man, it’s frustrating. So, that was a huge play for them.

“We thought we’d get it. If I kicked the field goal, then you’re probably saying, Why didn’t you go for it in fourth-and-inches?’ But we just made a decision in the moment that we believed in, and it didn’t work. They they made the stop.”

On the performance of Clemson’s offensive line

“They protect protected well. I thought they really protected well. That was a real positive in the game. We never felt stressed. There was another one (where) they sacked us. We thought they were offside, but they never felt stressed. I thought they held up really well. So, that was a positive from it.”

On Sammy Brown’s absence in some of Clemson’s fourth-quarter plays

“We (were) just working the packages that we’ve worked all week. (There’s) nothing wrong with Sammy (Brown) or anything – we just we got in a little bit more nickel (plays). We got into some some, what we call, ‘cyclone,’ as well, especially on some of the long-yardage stuff. I’m feeling like they’re going to have to change the how they were going to play but nothing more than that.”

On future Palmetto Bowl matchups where South Carolina is a competitor

“They’ve always been a competitor. I mean, I’ve always had respect for this rivalry – it’s a great rivalry. But this is just one game. They won today. They’re state champions this year. It’s a year-to-year deal. But, again, I think Shane deserves a lot of credit for the season that they’ve had they’ve had. They’ve had a great season, and we’re both 9-3 We had an opportunity to really have a great season with a win today, and we didn’t get it done.

“But, again, it’s always been a competitive game. Last year was a competitive game. I’ve been in a bunch of these – it’s my 21st game, so (I’ve) been in a bunch of them. But it’s all about this game ,and we didn’t get get it done today. So, you give them credit and keep moving.”

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On Swinney’s message to Clemson’s seniors

“Just, your heart breaks for them. I mean, it’s just part of it when you sign up for this deal, and you’re part of high-level competition. Sooner or later, it ends. And we all want to write the script that we want for it to end. Sometimes, it goes the way you want it, but, oftentimes, it doesn’t. But at the end of the day, ‘How’d you play?’ Those guys competed their butts off, man. Barrett (Carter) – he came up with a big fumble recovery today. I can’t ask more of our guys than what I saw today from a heart standpoint, a competitive (standpoint). They were physical. Sometimes, you just get beat, and you got to give the opponent credit. I mean, they made a couple of great plays – and that’s the bottom line. And, sometimes, that happens.

“Again, we never even trailed ’til one minute, eight (seconds) in the game. Our kids competed their tails off. We had a couple critical mistakes that cost us. They made a couple of great plays that they just made. And that’s what great players do. I saw a great player in (LaNorris) Sellers today – I mean, that was pretty special. There was a couple (plays) you just tip your hat, and you got to give him credit for that. (He) seems like a great young man, seems like a great leader. But I thought the heart was on full display on both teams. And it’s a shame somebody’s got to lose the game. But there’s going to be a winner and a loser – and today, we lost, and they won. So, (we) got to own that.”

On Clemson defenders’ ability to limit Sellers

“Certainly, you try to hang on, but I give him credit. I mean, we had him dead to rights a few times, and all you got to do is watch… What was this, game 12? Just watch every game it’s like it’s a rerun. It doesn’t matter who they’re playing – everybody they played, he did that. So, (it) certainly wasn’t just us. I mean, we made some great plays on him, too. We did some really good stuff, but he made a couple of the biggest plays in the game that were the difference in the game. I mean, the two runs were spectacular. The third-and-15 – you’re two downs from winning the game right there, and he runs off a 20-yard touchdown run on third-and-15 with a spy, and he just escaped and made a play.

“But if you watch all 12 games, it’s the same thing every week. He was a huge difference for them. This year, their quarterback was a huge difference in them being (9-3). We’re not 9-3 without our quarterback our quarterback he had two great plays with his legs today. We certainly aren’t sitting here where we are without him having the type of year he had, and Shane would be the first to tell you they’re not where they are without without the year that their quarterback had. It’s two great quarterbacks battling it out today, and he was the difference in the end.”

On the performance of Clemson’s defense as a whole

“I mean, it’s rare that we win the turnover margin and lose – that’s a very rare thing. And, again, that happened today. But Cade – I think he had a hundred, or something, completions or throws in a row without an interception. And, again, that was just a bad decision right there in that situation. Like I said, even if it’s completed, we’re going to have to kick it in that spot, as opposed to just throw it away or whatever. We’re trying to win the game. We had plenty of opportunities to win the game in that situation – and with a timeout to kick the field goal.

“But, yeah, I mean, win the turnover margin, get beat – and it’s couple plays. You think, at least, you’re going to probably go to overtime right there, but it was a great college football game – there’s no denying that. It stinks to be on this side of it, but that was a hell of a college football game and a bunch of young people battling it out with everything they got, and we came up short.”

On Swinney’s frustration with Clemson’s pass rush

“Yeah, we’ve been much better. I thought we had a couple games… Obviously, the Louisville game was a poor performance – we had a bad day. But we really rallied back (and) did a great job at Virginia Tech and Pitt. Again, we did a really good job at times today, but their quarterback just made some plays that created some problems for us. It’s just got to keep getting better. We got good players, and we got a lot of guys back. And, again, those kids are are going to keep improving.”

On RJ Mickens’ injury status

“I don’t have anything.”

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On what Swinney wants Klubnik to take away from Clemson’s final series

“It’s a great learning opportunity for him. Like I said, just, the situation right there – we were really just were trying to just take a shot outside to the end zone, and for some reason, he flushed. Okay, that’s fine. I think it was first down, might have been second down. Was it first or second down? (It was) second down, so, yeah, just throw it away if you didn’t… There’s no reason to create the scramble. And, like I said, with that situation, even if it’s complete to Mafah – if it’s the first quarter, that’s fine. But if it’s complete to Mafah right there, we’re going to have to use the last timeout and kick it.

“So, that’s just a decision he’ll learn from right there. (He) should have just thrown it out of bounds, and let’s go to third down. We got one more shot, and then, we kick it, and we we go to overtime and see what happens. He made a lot of great plays, and I know that play will be magnified – and that was a mistake. So, he’ll learn from that. That kid’s got a lot of football ahead of him, and he’s hurting from it. And, again, their kid (Demetrius Knight) made a good play. I mean, that was a tough, tough play. Tips are usually picks, and that was what happened in that situation. It was a nice play by him.

“So, he’ll learn from it. He’ll file it, just like he learned from a lot of mistakes last year and came back, and he had a great year this year. At the end of the day, that’s one play in a great year that kid had. But it was a heck of a drive down the field – a heck of a drive. Hey, we didn’t finish it.”

On how Swinney feels knowing this year’s Palmetto Bowl was winnable

“Yeah, it’s (a) missed opportunity. I mean, I’ve done this a long time. There’s been a lot of opportunities that haven’t gone on my way. You only really lose in life if you quit – just keep going. I mean, this is football. Sometimes you get beat. (You) never ever want to lose a game. I wish I could tell you that every year we go undefeated and never lose a game, and that’s not reality. There’s a lot of high stakes. (It was a) missed opportunity, and we had it – just didn’t get it done.

“Again, sometimes, you got to give the opponent credit. And they deserve credit because I thought they made the critical plays. And we had every opportunity – we didn’t do it. But you pick yourself up, and you get back in the fight, you keep moving – that’s it. I mean, there’s nothing else to say about it other than congratulations to the opponent. You’re disappointed that it didn’t go your way, but you got to keep going.

“We got another game. I’m not sure where we’ll play, or whatever, but we’ll have another game and an opportunity to, hopefully, finish with a win, and a 10th win, and another postseason win, and build on that. (There’s) a lot of football ahead, and that’s why we’ve had such a great program for a long time. It hasn’t always gone perfect – we just keep going. You keep going. We’ve had some really, really good moments, and we’ve had some really, really crappy moments. But we have a great program because we’ve always kept going. That’s what we’ll continue to do.”

On Clemson players’ plans after the loss and whether he will watch the Miami-Syracuse game

“Everybody’s pissed. There’s a lot of disappointment, man. There’s no gathering. We didn’t get the job done today. But, yeah, certainly I’ll watch and see what happens. Whatever God’s got for us, he’s got for us – that’s just how I look at it. We’ll know our our next step here pretty soon, and then pick ourselves up, dust off and see if we can go finish the way we want to finish, and then, learn and grow from everything this year and see if we can get better for next year.”