The general consensus across the college football world is that Ole Miss will struggle in the playoff without former head coach Lane Kiffin. The Rebels had their way in their first round matchup against Tulane, but most assume that will not be possible against Georgia in the next round.
Kirby Smart however isn't buying into that narrative. Does he believe Ole Miss will be impacted because they no longer have Kiffin? Absolutely, but he doesn't think it will hurt them as much as some people assume.
"The offensive coordinator and the staff is still all there," Smart said via si.com. "They're not going to make overhaul or make hard changes. They've got something that works well. They're playing at a really high level offensively."
Kirby Smart isn't buying into the false narrative surrounding Ole Miss without Lane Kiffin
Smart pointed out that Ole Miss still has their entire offensive staff including their offensive coordinator. So even though Kiffin is no longer there, the rest of their staff is still in place. And it's worth pointing out just how much success they found against Georgia in the first matchup.
Ole Miss scored a touchdown on their first five possessions of the game against Georgia earlier this year. Georgia's defense finally found their footing in the fourth quarter, but it was a bloodbath before then. So the Rebels' coaching staff knows what worked well against Georgia in the first game and can try to repeat that success this time around.
The college football world however still believes Georgia will win this game with relative ease. The Bulldogs are a touchdown favorite over Ole Miss, and many believe it will be uglier than that. But Smart doesn't think this will be an easy game just because Kiffin is gone, he knows how much of a challenge it will be to defeat Ole Miss so he is not overlooking them in the slightest.