Bowl Projections: Ole Miss is back in the College Football Playoffs mix
What a difference a win makes, especially the kind of win Ole Miss got on Saturday.
Beating Georgia by 18 points has greatly altered the Rebels postseason trajectory, re-routing it from where it was heading just a month ago.
Following that overtime loss at LSU on October 12 it felt like another lost season for Ole Miss. Sitting with two losses before Halloween and still games at Arkansas and against Georgia still loomed.
There was a feeling of the 2022 season that ended up at the Texas Bowl in Houston and eight wins happening all over again.
Then the second half against Oklahoma arrived and Ole Miss has not looked back. Winners of three straight, including that game in Fayetteville and the take down of the Bulldogs last weekend, has the feeling restored.
National outlets who prognosticate and predict the bowl matchups have also come back around to the Rebels (8-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference). In the latest projections no longer is Las Vegas or a trip to Florida to play in a bowl game in the cards.
Now, Ole Miss is returning to the College Football Playoff party and a contender for the 12-team format. With two games remaining after this week’s second bye of the season the Rebels have a path once more.
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Beat Florida in Gainesville and then Mississippi State back in Oxford six days later and a 10-2 record should be enough. The projections are tending to agree, again.
So much so that a couple projections are seeing a deep CFP run by Ole Miss to the semifinals. Brett McMurphy of the Action Network plus Athlon has the Rebels getting to the Orange Bowl to play 2 Seed Texas for a CFP title game berth, but coming up short.
Jerry Palm of CBS Sports continues to be bearish on the Rebels and their CFP chances. His projections have them playing Illinois in the Citrus Bowl. All others have them back in the CFP following the win over Georgia.
Tuesday’s second CFP rankings will also help paint the picture of where the Rebels stand heading into the bye and then their final two regular season games.
Below are current postseason projections for Ole Miss.
ESPN
- Kyle Bonagura – No. 11 Ole Miss at No. 6 Penn State
- Mark Schlabach – No. 10 Ole Miss at No. 7 Penn State
CBS Sports
- Jerry Palm – Citrus Bowl vs. Illinois
Action Network
- Brett McMurphy – No. 11 Georgia at No. 6 Ole Miss (-1)
- Beating No. 3 Miami in Peach Bowl; Losing to No. 2 Texas in Orange Bowl
Athlon
- No. 11 Ole Miss at No. 6 Penn State
- Beating No. 3 Miami in Peach Bowl; Losing to No. 2 Texas in Orange Bowl
College Football News
- No. 10 Ole Miss at No. 7 Notre Dame
Sporting News
- No. 11 Ole Miss at No. 6 Penn State
