A week ago, Ole Miss was sitting at No. 7 in the College Football Playoff rankings, riding high off a bye week and prepping for the Egg Bowl. Fast forward seven days, and the landscape in Oxford has shifted dramatically-but not in a way that hurt the Rebels' postseason hopes. In fact, despite the coaching carousel spinning at full speed, Ole Miss has climbed a spot to No. 6 in the latest CFP rankings.
Let’s start with what happened on the field. Lane Kiffin and his squad took care of business in the Egg Bowl, dispatching Mississippi State 38-19 in a rivalry win that was never really in doubt. It was a strong, composed performance-exactly what the committee needed to see from a team trying to prove it belongs in the playoff picture.
Then came the off-field fireworks.
Kiffin, long rumored to be LSU’s top target, kept the college football world on edge throughout Saturday, with signs increasingly pointing to his departure. By Sunday, it was official: Kiffin was heading to Baton Rouge.
Ole Miss didn’t wait long to steady the ship, promoting defensive coordinator Pete Golding to full-time head coach. Golding, who’s been instrumental in the Rebels’ defensive turnaround, now steps into the top job with a playoff run on the horizon.
And he won’t be going it alone. Charlie Weis Jr., the offensive coordinator who’s following Kiffin to LSU, will return to call plays for Ole Miss during the postseason. That continuity could be crucial, especially with the Rebels now positioned to host a first-round playoff game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Now, here’s where things get interesting.
CFP committee chair Hunter Yurachek made it clear last week that if Ole Miss didn’t make the SEC title game-and Kiffin wasn’t on the sideline-the committee wouldn’t have a new data point to evaluate the Rebels under their new leadership. That’s exactly what happened. Alabama’s dramatic win over Auburn on Saturday night secured the Crimson Tide’s spot in the SEC Championship Game, leaving Ole Miss on the outside looking in.
But the committee didn’t penalize the Rebels for it. They focused on what happened in Starkville-and only what happened in Starkville. As a result, Ole Miss jumped to No. 6, leapfrogging Texas A&M, which tumbled from No. 3 to No. 7 after a loss to Texas.
That’s a huge win for Golding and company. With Alabama and Georgia set to duke it out for the SEC crown next weekend, Ole Miss gets to sit back and watch, knowing its playoff path is still very much intact. Yurachek did mention that idle teams can still move based on how championship weekend shakes out-a note more relevant to programs like Notre Dame and Miami-but for the Rebels, the path is clear: win at home, and keep dancing.
As the No. 6 seed, Ole Miss is projected to host the fourth-highest ranked conference champion in the opening round. If No.
17 Virginia knocks off Duke to win the ACC, the Cavaliers would likely head to Oxford. If Duke pulls the upset, then the American Athletic Conference champ-either No.
20 Tulane or No. 24 North Texas-would likely be next in line.
The final playoff picture will come into focus during the CFP Selection Show on Sunday, Dec. 7 at noon ET on ESPN. Until then, Ole Miss fans can breathe a little easier. The Rebels didn’t just survive a week of chaos-they may have come out stronger on the other side.