One ugly stat Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin must change in 2024

Lane Kiffin has done a masterful job returning the Ole Miss football program back to national relevancy since his arrival in 2020. Ole Miss is in the national spotlight to begin the season, but Kiffin is going to have to flip an ugly narrative surrounding him in order to keep the Rebels in the College Football Playoff picture.

Kiffin's Rebels enter the 2024 campaign ranked as the nation's No. 6 team. It's the highest preseason ranking for Ole Miss since 1970. Ole Miss' ranking speaks to the level of expectations the rest of the college football world has for one of the most talented teams in program history.

Kiffin has excelled in recruiting ever since arriving on campus in Oxford. He has earned the monicker as college football's one true Portal King with his exceptional work in the transfer portal. But, with the national title within reach, Kiffin must improve upon his 3-15 record against top-10 teams.

What Lies Ahead

As things currently stand, Ole Miss has three ranked opponents on the schedule this fall: No. 16 Oklahoma, No. 13 LSU, and No. 1 Georgia. There is a legitimate chance that all three teams will be ranked in the top 10 by the time Ole Miss is set to square off with them.

Ole Miss will have multiple opportunities to help their head coach prove the doubters wrong. Of the three ranked opponents, LSU is the only road game on the Rebels' schedule. Although Kiffin has struggled against some of the nation's elite teams, his record inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is 19-2 since the 2021 season.

Thanks to Kiffin and his staff, Ole Miss finally has the firepower to contend with the best teams in the country. Ole Miss spent the offseason loading up on talented players in the trenches, which will go a long way in sustaining success on both sides of the football this fall.