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ATLANTA -- This could be called "The Moving Parts Bowl."
Then again, given the state of college football, now dominated at this time of the year by the transfer portal, behind-the-scenes NIL maneuvering and coaching moves, they all could.
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin admits he's approaching today's Peach Bowl against the Nittany Lions (noon, ESPN) with too much uncertainty.
"We really don't know what to expect," he said.
Kiffin was referring to the Nittany Lions' defense, which lost coordinator Manny Diaz to Duke after the season. In his place, safeties coach Anthony Poindexter and defensive analyst Robb Smith will handle the playcalling duties.
"It's very complicated with new coaches, with Manny moving on," Kiffin said. "I think everybody's first assumption is, 'Oh, that's great for the opponent because the coordinator is not there,' but it's also complicated because playcallers have tendencies."
Not knowing Poindexter's tendencies, Kiffin can only conclude, "Under Coach (James) Franklin, the defense plays really hard regardless of who the coordinator is."
Though Kiffin praised Franklin for being able to limit his players opting-out of the bowl game, there's been a steady drip of personnel plans since the Lions' regular-season finale against Michigan State.
Defensive end Chop Robinson and cornerback Johnny Dixon opted-out and are no longer with the team. Both had transferred into Penn State, Robinson from Maryland and Dixon from South Carolina so maybe transfers have less loyalty or are just more ready to move on than those who came directly from high school.
Several other Penn State players have announced they'll play in the Peach Bowl but then focus on the NFL Draft and, thus, not be back for the 2024 season. While they say they'll play today, it's a question of how much.
"I'll be playing a good portion, probably — the first half for sure," defensive end Adisa Isaac said. "But it might slow down after that."
Franklin said cornerback Kalen King is with the Lions for "one more game" - King has said nothing - and now with Dixon out, if King sees limited or no snaps due to his pending NFL pursuit, Penn State's secondary could be dotted with inexperience.
That means extended opportunity could fall to the likes of Zion Tracy, King Mack and Elliot Washington on the back end and Zuriah Fisher and Amin Vanover up front.
Mississippi has an explosive passing game with receivers "very similar to Ohio State," Poindexter said.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart completed 65% for 2965 yards and 20 touchdowns (vs. five interceptions), and three of his receivers surpassed 700 yards - Penn State had none.
"Obviously, it's going to be a challenge because of the type of receivers and offense we'll be playing," Franklin said, adding some of his younger players "will have a more significant role."
In addition to the Ole Miss passing game, Quinshon Judkins surpassed the 1100-yard rushing mark as the Rebels scored 55 points vs. LSU, 48 vs. Georgia Tech, 35 vs. Texas A&M and averaged 34.8 points per game.
The word around the Penn State camp to describe the Rebels' attack is "tempo."
"You see it sometimes (in the Big Ten)," Poindexter said. "I just don't know if we've faced a team that consistently throughout a game has tempo like (Ole Miss)."
The best way to defend a potentially explosive offense is to keep it in the sidelines.
That's where the Nittany Lions' running game comes in. Mike Yurcich was fired as offensive coordinator in part because he called for too many passes (42) at Ohio State that didn't connect and especially on third down (1-of-16).
The playcalling duties since went to Ty Howle and Ja'Juan Seider, and they were more committed to the run game, albeit against Rutgers and Michigan State.
With Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, expect a heavy dose of the run to manage the clock and because no wide receiver emerged consistently enough to become a go-to target.
Tight end Theo Johnson is headed to the NFL after this game, but Tyler Warren announced he's returning. Johnson's duty may be limited while Warren is showcased.
At the same time, the offensive line could be in flux.
Heralded offensive tackle Olu Fashanu is with the team, but there hasn't been a confirmation that he'll play due to his very high draft stock. Nobody wants to see a projected top-five pick injured as he's about to be hugged by Roger Goodell.
And the opposite tackle, Caeden Wallace, is also NFL bound after this game, which means the Nits may turn more to Drew Shelton and J'Ven Williams.
In general, in wanting to look out for his upperclassmen who are leaving and yet still desiring to win the game, Franklin said:
"These are the guys that we are also going to be depending on next season so it creates some more opportunities in this game," he said. "We've embraced it with a next-man-up mentality. We're not the only program that's dealing with this."
Here's hoping next year, and the start of a 12-team playoff, will bring added incentive for players to complete the season.
But given the state of college football, don't bet on it.
Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.