Ole Miss continues to move up in the College Football Playoff poll, settling in at No. 18 this week in the fourth release of the poll.
The Rebels beat LSU 38-17 in Oxford last Saturday, moving to 8-3 overall and 5-2 in the SEC. They’re holding out hope for a first-ever trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game, but they need a win Saturday at Mississippi State and some help from Auburn, which needs to upset Alabama for Ole Miss to win the SEC West.
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The Rebels were ranked No. 18 when the first poll came out on Nov. 3, but fell out completely the following week after losing 53-52 in overtime. They were back in at No. 22 last week, even though they were on a bye week,
Making the playoffs is a virtual impossibility but it would be interesting to see how far Ole Miss could move up if they could find a way to get to Atlanta this weekend. A win over Mississippi State and in the SEC Championship Game might make for some big movement, adding a few more quality wins to their resume.
In this week’s poll, Alabama came in at No. 2 and looks to be in good shape to earn a playoff spot. Florida is at No. 12 – down four spots from last week despite winning – and Mississippi State is at No. 21.
Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist and author who is covering SEC football for Saturday Down South.
