College football has spent most of its modern life rewarding the same powers over and over again. Georgia and Alabama made a habit of treating the four-team era like their own private club, while everybody else chased the door.
The 12-team playoff has changed that math fast. The sport feels wider open now, and the first two seasons of the expanded bracket have already given it a different kind of chaos.
Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty turned into a national star as the Broncos earned the third seed and a bye into the second round, a setup that would have been hard to imagine in the old system. The bigger field also meant more room for teams to cash in on seasons that used to end in frustration, like Florida State’s undefeated run that got wrecked by Jordan Travis’ late injury and left the Seminoles out of the four-team playoff.
Then came 2025, and the unpredictability only grew. Curt Cignetti’s Indiana went on to win a national title after years stuck in the Big Ten basement, Miami climbed back into the national conversation, and Ole Miss pushed itself onto the biggest stage in a way the program had been trying to do for years.
That’s why the Rebels look like such an interesting team in this season’s race. Seven weeks in, no one has truly taken control of the sport.
Texas surged early, especially with its comeback win over Ohio State, then dropped back-to-back games to Oklahoma and Florida. Georgia has lived near the top of the AP Poll all season, but after losing at home to Auburn, the Bulldogs no longer look untouchable.
Even Miami, last year’s runner-up and the team that ended Ole Miss’ shot at glory, still has plenty to answer for.
Ole Miss has its own case to make. The Rebels have beaten three ranked opponents at the time of those games, while Miami has not faced a ranked team this season.
Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney give Miami one of the country’s most dangerous combinations, but the schedule hasn’t exactly forced the Hurricanes to prove it. Wake Forest is now 17th in the AP Poll, but Miami beat them before that rise, and Notre Dame - ranked No. 4 despite being an independent and playing questionable competition - remains the other major reference point.
The Irish also lost to BYU in their first real matchup of the year.
Nationally, the hunger is obvious: everyone wants someone to step forward and own the spot as the team to beat. Ole Miss has entered that conversation after its dominant win over Missouri on Saturday, and with Georgia, Alabama and Texas each stumbling in the SEC this week, the Rebels have a chance to make serious ground in both the league race and the national picture.
That kind of momentum changes expectations. Once a team gets a taste of the playoff, settling for the Reliaquest Bowl stops feeling like enough.
A 9-3 season and a quality non-playoff bowl would still be a solid year, but Ole Miss and Pete Golding are not going to be satisfied with that after getting close to the national title picture. The goal now is simple: be one of the final 12 teams still alive.
The path is right there. Ole Miss has just one loss, and the road ahead runs through a suspect Texas team before Georgia shows up later.
Beat the Longhorns in Austin and the Rebels give themselves plenty of breathing room. Lose that one, and the margin for error disappears - win out or stay home.
With Trinidad Chambliss still in the Heisman mix, Kewan Lacy getting back to full strength and the defense beginning to carve out an identity, Ole Miss has the pieces to keep climbing. In a season defined by more parity than college football has seen in a long time, the Rebels have a real shot at ending up in Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas this January with a national championship still on the table.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Catches A Huge Break In High Stakes Texas Showdown
Ole Miss got a significant early boost for its trip to Texas, with the Longhorns expected to be without standout defensive end Colin Simmons after he suffered a high ankle sprain against Florida. Simmons was ruled out for the rest of that game, and his status now figures to be evaluated week to week, a notable development for a matchup that already had plenty riding on it.
Simmons has been one of the most disruptive defenders in the country and leads the nation in sacks, so his absence changes the look of a Texas front that typically leans on him to set the tone. For Ole Miss, it removes one of the toughest individual problems on the schedule and adds another layer of intrigue to a game that was already shaping up as a high-stakes test. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Looks Ready For Much Bigger Games After Statement Win
Ole Miss spent Saturday looking every bit like a team built for the bigger stage, taking control early and never really letting Missouri get comfortable in a 31-3 win. The Rebels defense set the tone throughout the afternoon, keeping the Tigers away from their preferred answers and making the kind of steady, disciplined stops that can travel well when the schedule tightens up.
Pete Goldings group now heads into the heart of SEC play with some real momentum behind it, and his record against ranked opponents sits at 6-1 after another statement performance. The challenge for Ole Miss is obvious enough: this level of defensive sharpness has to hold when the opposition gets tougher, because the next stretch will say a lot about whether this was simply a strong showing or a preview of what the Rebels can sustain. [Read more 🡒]
Pete Golding Sends Ole Miss Fans A Warning About Arch Manning
Pete Golding spent part of the buildup to Ole Miss meeting with Texas pushing back on the easy take about Arch Manning. The Rebels defensive coordinator said the notion that Manning is not an elite player is crazy, a notable stance given the turnovers that have shadowed the quarterbacks season. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has already confirmed Manning will stay in the lineup against Ole Miss, which keeps the focus on how the Rebels plan to handle a passer Golding clearly still views as a major challenge.
Golding pointed to more than just the stat sheet, crediting Mannings athletic ability and past success while suggesting some of the struggles have been a matter of bad luck. For Ole Miss, that kind of warning matters because it comes from inside the opposing scouting report, not from a fan debate or a headline. If Manning settles in, the Rebels know they could be facing a quarterback Golding believes is far better than the public conversation has suggested. [Read more 🡒]