Why did you phrase this like you didn’t also spend the late Spring and entire Summer and Fall preseason emphatically stating that not only are internal expectations and marketing for CFP or bust, but that your own opinion was that if Ole Miss didn’t make the CFP — with this roster and this NIL spend — then the season was a failure?
Internal expectations were CFP. Fans expectations were the same. National, regional and yes, local, journalist expectations were CFP. Right or wrong — and good execution or not — Ole Miss marketed it as well. But pretending like Ole Miss was out on some limb on their own with this expectation is revisionist history at best
As for the Last Dance bit, I’m surprised you continue to harp on this. It’s quite literally the Last (college football) Dance for these players — and that was what it was centered on, not Lane. Most of them are multi-year transfers who had NFL opportunities and decided to return. Most of them are in their 2nd or 3rd year together. Dart, Bentley, Prieskorn, Tre, Watkins, Washington, Ivey, JJ, Khari Coleman. Add in the backups who have played a lot of snaps over the years and the 1 year guys who will all be gone after the season. It’s quite literally their Last Dance. There will be a massive turnover on the 2 deep and team leadership that has been relatively consistent for 2+ years. I’ve thought the marketing was fairly relevant, and the players obviously pushed it as well.
Internal expectations were CFP. Fans expectations were the same. National, regional and yes, local, journalist expectations were CFP. Right or wrong — and good execution or not — Ole Miss marketed it as well. But pretending like Ole Miss was out on some limb on their own with this expectation is revisionist history at best
As for the Last Dance bit, I’m surprised you continue to harp on this. It’s quite literally the Last (college football) Dance for these players — and that was what it was centered on, not Lane. Most of them are multi-year transfers who had NFL opportunities and decided to return. Most of them are in their 2nd or 3rd year together. Dart, Bentley, Prieskorn, Tre, Watkins, Washington, Ivey, JJ, Khari Coleman. Add in the backups who have played a lot of snaps over the years and the 1 year guys who will all be gone after the season. It’s quite literally their Last Dance. There will be a massive turnover on the 2 deep and team leadership that has been relatively consistent for 2+ years. I’ve thought the marketing was fairly relevant, and the players obviously pushed it as well.
