It’s official — Ole Miss will appear in its first-ever College Football Playoff, barring a completely unprecedented move by the committee that determines which teams will compete for a title. Rebel fans can also take a breath of relief, knowing their favorite team is still in the driver’s seat to host a postseason matchup.
During Tuesday night’s unveiling of the top 25 teams, Ole Miss moves up one spot to No. 6. If the playoff were to be held today, Ole Miss would welcome a conference champion yet to be crowned to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for a round one showdown. Action for the 12-team field is scheduled to kick off with one game on Friday, Dec. 19, and three other contests occurring the next day. The top four teams will earn a first-round bye.
The Rebels’ primary concern heading into Tuesday night was that the selection committee’s observance of Lane Kiffin’s absence as a means of docking the red and blue in the poll, especially since the unavailability of key players and coaches is being used as a data point. Kiffin, of course, took the LSU head coaching job over the weekend and is reported to have engaged in a full-court press to take his Ole Miss assistants with him.
Ole Miss, which had already dropped two spots in the playoff rankings without losing a game, promoted Pete Golding to head coach on Sunday. Golding was able to retain a bulk of the Rebels’ current coaching staff for the time being. One of the primary pieces to the puzzle in leading the postseason charge is offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr.
Weis hopped on a plane to Baton Rouge with Kiffin over the weekend and is reported to have agreed to be LSU’s next offensive coordinator. However, Kiffin confirmed that he is “allowing Charlie to return to Ole Miss to coach the team during the playoffs.” Ole Miss Athletics Director Keith Carter reportedly spoke with the committee on Tuesday to plead his team’s case. Former Rebel tight end Wesley Walls being a committee member also did not hurt the cause in Oxford.
On the field, the Rebels ended the regular season with an 11-1 record for the first time in program history, and the only loss came against top-four Georgia on the road. The team’s résumé includes an impressive road win at playoff hopeful Oklahoma, along with a 38-19 routing of Mississippi State in an Egg Bowl matchup riddled with pregame distractions.
As for the coaching staff, Golding and Weis will be joined by Joe Judge (quarterbacks), Kevin Smith (running backs), John Garrison (offensive line), Bryan Brown (secondary), Randall Joyner (defensive line), Wes Neighbors III (safeties), and Jake Schoonover (special teams). The team, with no opt-outs, will be anchored by quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, standout running back Kewan Lacy, and linebacker TJ Dottery, among others.
While the final decision will be made on the Rebels’ postseason placement on Selection Sunday this coming weekend, the current rankings can be found below:
- Ohio State
- Indiana
- Georgia
- Texas Tech
- Oregon
- Ole Miss
- Texas A&M
- Oklahoma
- Alabama
- Notre Dame
- BYU
- Miami
- Texas
- Vanderbilt
- Utah
- USC
- Virginia
- Arizona
- Michigan
- Tulane
- Houston
- Georgia Tech
- Iowa
- North Texas
- James Madison