Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin, Alabama's AD, More Campaign for 2024-25 CFP Bracket Spots

The 2024 election cycle might be over but the politicking is only getting started in college football.

Head coaches and administrators on the College Football Playoff bubble are jockeying to make the case for their schools sneak into the 12-team field.

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin laid out the evidence for why the Rebels deserve to vault ahead of Alabama:

Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne naturally lobbied for the Crimson Tide:

South Carolina's Shane Beamer used his postgame press conference after a 17-14 win over Clemson to make an affirmative argument:

Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich and head coach Mario Cristobal believe a 42-38 loss to Syracuse shouldn't be disqualifying for the Hurricanes:

Even Illinois coach Bret Bielema seemed to hold out hope the Fighting Illini, who were 23rd in the CFP selection committee's Week 14 rankings, still have a shot:

Furthermore, SMU athletic director Rick Hart and Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard exchanged barbs on social media:

The further down the playoff bracket you get, the harder it becomes to argue any one school truly deserves a CFP berth. You've ceded the floor once you've suffered three defeats in a season.

Even in the case of Miami, which is sitting at 10-2, the Hurricanes are pretty much free and clear if they beat Syracuse last Saturday. Instead, they get upset by the Orange and lost a spot in the ACC title game as a result. Can we definitively say at this point that Miami is one of the 12 best teams in the country?

One argument in favor of expanding the playoff was that it becomes much less controversial when you're omitting the 13th and 14th-ranked teams from championship contention instead of the fifth and sixth. An unbeaten Florida State missing the playoff in 2023 certainly contrasts starkly with what's going to unfold in another week.

The selection committee can expect nonetheless plenty of grief from fans of whatever schools are perceived to get snubbed.