Ole Miss moves up several spots in ESPN power rankings after Week 9
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Ole Miss improved to 7-1 on the season on Saturday, taking down Oklahoma 34-26 in Norman.
With South Carolina, The Citadel, Florida, and the Iron Bowl against Mississippi State remaining on their regular-season schedule, the Rebels have a terrific shot at a first-ever College Football Playoff appearance. That is, unless they stub their toe down the stretch.
In ESPN’s post-Week 9 power rankings, Ole Miss checks in at No. 6. That’s a jump of 3 spots from Week 8’s rankings. While Eli Lederman highlighted the Rebels’ pass defense keeping John Mateer in check, there’s one key weakness:
Less stellar is a rush defense that’s stopping the run less effectively than every SEC team other than bottom-of-the-league Arkansas. Long runs, like the 65-yard touchdown Oklahoma’s Xavier Robinson unleashed on the Rebels, have been a particular weak point. With Ole Miss potentially playoff-bound, the program’s rush defense remains a core weakness for coordinator Pete Golding and the Rebels to address between now and December.
We’ll see if the Rebels’ rush defense — currently second-last in the SEC — gets between them and a Playoff berth. For now, their sights are set on Week 10’s trip to Columbia to face a reeling Gamecocks team that’s dropped their last 3 games and 5 of their last 6.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
