Three College Football Teams Facing Most Pressure in Rivalry Week

It’s my sad duty to remind you all that the final week of the college football regular season is upon us.

These three months have flown by, and we’re left with just one last full slate of madness.

But what a rivalry weekend it is shaping up to be, with plenty of teams looking to lock up College Football Playoff spots while others are seeking to emerge from convoluted tiebreaker scenarios to earn conference title game berths next week.

Here’s a look at the coaches and teams with the most on the line this weekend:

Kalen DeBoer

Nick Saban set an unattainably high bar for his Alabama successor. And yet, Kalen DeBoer has done pretty well filling those shoes, with an 18–5 record over his first two seasons.

With a win over Auburn on Saturday, the Crimson Tide would effectively clinch their first CFP appearance under DeBoer — and their ninth in 12 years.

Alabama is certainly a much better team than 5–6 Auburn. But DeBoer’s only real issue early in his tenure has been losing to less talented teams. Look how poorly that opening loss to Florida State has aged. Last year, losses to a pair of 6–6 teams in Vanderbilt and Oklahoma left the Tide as the first team out of the playoff.

Plus, Iron Bowls at Auburn always seem to get weird. Just two years ago, in Saban’s final season, No. 8 Alabama needed a fourth-and-31 miracle to beat a 6–5 Auburn team.

DeBoer absolutely cannot afford a slip-up this weekend — or he’ll enter Year 3 with far fewer fans in his corner.

Miami

A strong case can be made that Miami is being mistreated by the CFP selection committee.

Despite a head-to-head win over Notre Dame and an identical record, the Hurricanes sit three spots behind the Irish in the rankings. Notre Dame seems safely in the playoff with a win over Stanford, while it’s entirely possible Miami ends up just short for the second straight season.

Miami still has a path — both for an at-large bid and a razor-thin chance to sneak into the ACC Championship Game — but everything hinges on winning this weekend.

The 12th-ranked Hurricanes visit No. 22 Pittsburgh on Saturday, offering another chance to strengthen their résumé. A convincing win could be the statement the committee needs to finally move Miami up.

Lane Kiffin

And finally… the obvious one.

With a win Friday in the Egg Bowl vs. Mississippi State, No. 7 Ole Miss will make the College Football Playoff with an 11–1 record — even without a spot in the SEC title game.

But will their coach still be around to see it?

Ole Miss AD Keith Carter says an announcement on Kiffin’s future will come Saturday, as Kiffin has been heavily pursued by both LSU and Florida.

That doesn’t sound promising for the Rebels. And yet, it would be shocking — truly unprecedented — for a coach to leave weeks before his team competes in the CFP.

Ole Miss can make Kiffin’s decision far more complicated by winning on Friday.

A loss, especially from a team dealing with distraction, would make leaving that much easier.