All eyes in the SEC will on Norman this Saturday afternoon when one-loss contenders Ole Miss and Oklahoma square off in a pivotal game.
Both teams’ playoff hopes could hinge on the result, as the Rebels are fresh off their first loss of the season last Saturday while the Sooners suffered theirs two weeks ago.
Ahead of the ranked matchup, ESPN’s Steve Coughlin, better known as ‘Stanford Steve,’ joined The Pat McAfee Show to discuss the high stakes associated with this one.
“We got a playoff-leverage situation here, with this looking like an elimination game,” Coughlin said. “The probability for either of these teams to make the playoff is below 50% right now, but with a win…they’ll move up to over 60%.”
He went on to emphasize that while Oklahoma has the tougher remaining schedule, this could be a more crucial win for Ole Miss to get considering how it was worn down by Georgia in a game it could’ve won last week.
In terms of the on-field analysis, Coughlin looks forward to the matchup between Trinidad Chambliss and the Sooners’ vaunted defense, but he also believes the other side of the ball will carry its fair share of storylines.
“This is very good on very good when you’re talking about Ole Miss’ offense going up against Oklahoma’s defense,” Coughlin said. “That’s the matchup that everyone wants to see, and it’s also a matter of seeing what that Ole Miss defense looks like going on the road against Mateer, who got things going last week after looking rusty during that Red River game.”
Parker is currently the sports editor with the Enterprise-Journal in McComb, Mississippi. He's a graduate from Mizzou who has experience covering the Tiger football and basketball beats for SB Nation, and he's worked for a variety of sports news outlets in the past.
