It’s my unhappy responsibility to remind you all that the ultimate week of the school soccer common season is upon us.
These three months have flown by, and we’re left with only one final full slate of insanity.
However what a rivalry weekend it’s shaping as much as be, with loads of groups seeking to lock up School Soccer Playoff spots whereas others are looking for to emerge from convoluted tiebreaker situations to earn convention title recreation berths subsequent week.
Right here’s a have a look at the coaches and groups with essentially the most on the road this weekend:
Kalen DeBoer
Nick Saban set an unattainably excessive bar for his Alabama successor. And but, Kalen DeBoer has completed fairly properly filling these sneakers, with an 18–5 document over his first two seasons.
With a win over Auburn on Saturday, the Crimson Tide would successfully clinch their first CFP look beneath DeBoer — and their ninth in 12 years.
Alabama is actually a significantly better workforce than 5–6 Auburn. However DeBoer’s solely actual problem early in his tenure has been shedding to much less gifted groups. Look how poorly that opening loss to Florida State has aged. Final 12 months, losses to a pair of 6–6 groups in Vanderbilt and Oklahoma left the Tide as the primary workforce out of the playoff.
Plus, Iron Bowls at Auburn at all times appear to get bizarre. Simply two years in the past, in Saban’s closing season, No. 8 Alabama wanted a fourth-and-31 miracle to beat a 6–5 Auburn workforce.
DeBoer completely can’t afford a slip-up this weekend — or he’ll enter 12 months 3 with far fewer followers in his nook.
Miami
Aug 31, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes working again CharMar Brown (6) reacts after scoring a landing towards the Notre Dame Combating Irish through the third quarter at Onerous Rock Stadium. Necessary Credit score: Sam Navarro-Imagn Photographs A robust case will be made that Miami is being mistreated by the CFP choice committee.
Regardless of a head-to-head win over Notre Dame and an equivalent document, the Hurricanes sit three spots behind the Irish within the rankings. Notre Dame appears safely within the playoff with a win over Stanford, whereas it’s completely doable Miami finally ends up simply brief for the second straight season.
Miami nonetheless has a path — each for an at-large bid and a razor-thin likelihood to sneak into the ACC Championship Recreation — however every little thing hinges on successful this weekend.
The Twelfth-ranked Hurricanes go to No. 22 Pittsburgh on Saturday, providing one other likelihood to strengthen their résumé. A convincing win could possibly be the assertion the committee must lastly transfer Miami up.
Lane Kiffin
Nov 15, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin seems to be on throughout heat ups previous to the sport towards the Florida Gators at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Necessary Credit score: Petre Thomas-Imagn Photographs And eventually… the plain one.
With a win Friday within the Egg Bowl vs. Mississippi State, No. 7 Ole Miss will make the School Soccer Playoff with an 11–1 document — even and not using a spot within the SEC title recreation.
However will their coach nonetheless be round to see it?
Ole Miss AD Keith Carter says an announcement on Kiffin’s future will come Saturday, as Kiffin has been closely pursued by each LSU and Florida.
That doesn’t sound promising for the Rebels. And but, it might be stunning — actually unprecedented — for a coach to go away weeks earlier than his workforce competes within the CFP.
Ole Miss could make Kiffin’s determination much more sophisticated by successful on Friday.
A loss, particularly from a workforce coping with distraction, would make leaving that a lot simpler.
