Syracuse Football: Lane Kiffin should quit whining about ACC, focus on his own team

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin is taking shots at the Atlantic Coast Conference, where Syracuse football is a member, and the Big 12 Conference.

While I think Kiffin is a terrific coach, he needs to focus on his own team and not spend time trashing other leagues. There's no question that the two best conferences in college football during the 2024 season are the Southeastern Conference, where Ole Miss is a member, and the Big Ten Conference.

Case in point, in the most recent College Football Playoff ("CFP") top-25 rankings disclosed earlier this week, six SEC schools, including No. 14 Ole Miss, are in the top 15 overall. But apparently, that's not good enough for Kiffin, whose Rebels are 8-3 overall and will host in-state rival Mississippi State on Friday afternoon.

According to an article from On3's Nick Schultz, on his radio show this week, Kiffin discussed the latest CFP top 25. He said in part, "It’s ridiculous, the difference of playing in the SEC and the ACC and Big 12. To see these rankings – I’m not even doing the Ole Miss homer thing. ... To think that you’re looking at schools and you’re talking about, like, Clemson’s schedule and who they played over Alabama. It’s stupid. … I’m not gonna name them. Take some of those teams that are up there that haven’t played anybody and put them down in the SEC, they’re .500 teams."

Syracuse football and the ACC are having a pretty good 2024 season, too.

First and foremost, I do agree that the SEC, and the Big Ten, are stronger football leagues in 2024 than the ACC and the Big 12. However, Kiffin is speaking in hypotheticals. How the heck does he know how Clemson or other ACC members would fare if they played in the SEC? Why is he whining?

If Ole Miss would have taken care of its own business, the Rebels would be in the 12-team CFP. Yet Ole Miss has fallen to Kentucky (4-7), LSU (7-4) and Florida (6-5). Since Kiffin decided to mention Clemson, those Tigers (9-2) are No. 12 in the CFP top 25.

Clemson, this term, has lost to No. 7 Georgia (9-2) and Louisville (7-4). The Tigers, this Saturday afternoon, will square off at home versus in-state rival and No. 15 South Carolina (8-3). If Clemson prevails, is Kiffin going to stand by his words or maybe give a little respect to the ACC?

His comments don't have a ton to do with our beloved Orange, but Kiffin's remarks bring up a larger issue in college football and collegiate athletics as a whole. The national sentiments, these days, are that it's the Big Ten and the SEC, and then everyone else (hi, College GameDay).

Perhaps that's true. Yet the ACC has some quality programs in 2024. Miami (10-1) is No. 6. SMU (10-1) is No. 9, and Clemson is No. 12.

We'll see how the Hurricanes do at Syracuse football this Saturday afternoon in week 14. And things still have to play out, but it's possible the ACC could get more than one of its members in the CFP (dare I say even two or three).

Even if the ACC has more than one school in the CFP, I assume it will pale in comparison to the Big Ten and the SEC. Will that appease Kiffin? Probably not, unless Ole Miss is in the 12-team field.