The Ole Miss football team’s chances of vying for a national title in the postseason got a lot stronger on Tuesday night.
Coming in at No. 9 in the latest College Football Playoff poll is Lane Kiffin’s crew — one that has arguably been the hottest team in the sport over the past few weeks. While the Rebels enjoyed a bye this past Saturday, a lot of action on the gridiron helped bolster Ole Miss into a higher position than its previous ranking.
Last week, Kiffin and company enjoyed a surge in the top 25 following a historic win over then-No.3 Georgia. Over the weekend, that Georgia team defeated a Tennessee squad previously ranked ahead of the Rebels, sparking heated debates centered around the Volunteers’ résumé compared to the Rebels’.
Both squads have faced four common opponents — Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Georgia. Ole Miss boasts a 3-1 record against those teams, with an ugly loss against the Wildcats blemishing its record. Tennessee, on the other hand, is 2-2 in that slate.
Another aspect of the debate focused on which team has the better win overall at this point in the season. Tennessee’s 24-17 victory over Alabama may be more appealing than Ole Miss’ 27-3 over South Carolina, but the Rebels’ dominant outing over Georgia ultimately prompted the committee to rank Kiffin’s crew ahead of both the Bulldogs and Volunteers.
A previously undefeated BYU falling at home to a four-win Kansas team also played a part in Ole Miss’ jump in the most important poll in college football.
November 1️⃣9️⃣ #CFBPlayoff Selection Committee Rankings 🏈🏆
9️⃣. Mississippi // @OleMissFB pic.twitter.com/YWUKCpxEy4
— College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) November 20, 2024