Greg McElroy explains why Ole Miss vs. Oklahoma in Week 9 is a ‘playoff game’ for the Rebels
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It looked like the Ole Miss Rebels were going to pick up a massive win against the Georgia Bulldogs in Week 8. Then the fourth quarter happened. Now, just 7 days later, their College Football Playoff hopes could hinge on another difficult road SEC affair.
ESPN’s Greg McElroy broke down the Week 9 matchup between Ole Miss and Oklahoma on his Always College Football podcast. He labeled this weekend’s battle against the Sooners a playoff game for Lane Kiffin and Co.
“This is a playoff game for the Ole Miss Rebels. If they win this game, they’re probably going to be in the College Football Playoff,” McElroy said. “It all depends on this game this week. If they can go to Norman, Oklahoma and win, they should be in really good shape to make the 12-team playoff for the very first time.”
Ole Miss’ remaining slate — vs. South Carolina, vs. The Citadel, vs. Florida, at Mississippi State — does not offer any résumé-boosting wins. So, in theory, the Rebels should be no worse than 10-2 at the regular season’s end. However, their signature victory (over LSU) could age poorly, since the Tigers still have to play Texas A&M, Alabama and Oklahoma.
Without a triumph over Oklahoma, Ole Miss’ best win, come late November, may be against Tulane. The Green Wave are a good team, but they’re not a Power 4 squad and are currently not in the AP poll. For these reasons, Lane Kiffin simply can’t count on them to get him in the field, even if he is 10-2.
Kickoff between the Rebels and Sooners is set for 12:00 p.m. E.T. (ABC).
