After the conclusion of rivalry weekend, the Ole Miss Rebels have all but clinched their first playoff berth in program history. While the Rebels were not able to make it to the SEC championship game, they still hold an 11-1 record and are the No. 6 team in the nation, per the committee’s rankings on Dec. 2.
According to the 12-team system, seeds No. 5 through No. 12 will play in first round games, with seeds No. 5 through No. 8 hosting. With Ole Miss’ ranking, this is a look at the possible opponents that the Rebels could host in the first round.
BYU
The Cougars are currently No. 11 in the nation with a record of 11-1. Their only loss of the season came against now-No. 4 Texas Tech, 29-7, whom they will face again this weekend in the Big 12 Football Championship.
This is a must-win game for the Cougars. Since the Top 5 highest-ranked conference champions receive automatic bids, they could punch their ticket with a win over the Red Raiders. Texas Tech will secure an at-large bid even if they do not win the conference; if BYU loses, though, it will be bounced out of the playoff bracket by two other conference champions.
BYU has the ability to beat talented teams; the Cougars have wins over No. 15 Utah and No. 18 Arizona.
Other conference champion (Virginia, Tulane, North Texas)
The Cougars face a tall task against the Red Raiders, so the Rebels’ opponent may be a different conference champion. No. 18 Virginia is the most likely of these; the 10-2 Cavaliers have wins over Louisville and Florida State, but have also suffered losses against NC State and Wake Forest.
They will secure a playoff bid if they defeat 7-5 Duke in the ACC Championship. Only three weeks ago, the Cavaliers beat the Blue Devils 34-17.
Another conference champion will come from the American Athletic Conference, since No. 20 Tulane and No. 24 North Texas are the two highest-ranked teams in the Group of 5 who stand to win automatic bids. Ole Miss defeated Tulane 45-10 earlier this season.
The winner of this matchup will likely be ranked No. 12 and would not face Ole Miss. However, the American Athletic Conference champion could move up to No. 11 if Duke manages to beat Virginia. In this case, No. 25 James Madison University (11-1 currently) would replace Duke as the fifth-highest rated conference champion, if James Madison defeats Troy in the Sun Belt championship.
Notre Dame
Though the committee insists teams cannot be faulted for losing conference championships, no such limitation exists for teams who win their conference championships. If Alabama beats Georgia — which they have done before — the Crimson Tide could jump Ole Miss in the rankings, bumping the Rebels down to No. 7.
In this case, Ole Miss would face No. 10 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish dropped their first two games of the season to No. 12 Miami and No. 7 Texas A&M, but they have not lost since.
Running back Jeremiyah Love is one of the most electric players in college football and will likely be a finalist for the Heisman. He is one of several Fighting Irish players who have proven they can perform on a big stage; last season, in the first iteration of the 12-team playoff, Notre Dame advanced to the National Championship.
The Fighting Irish have wins over No. 16 USC, Navy and Pittsburgh. Head Coach Marcus Freeman’s squad will not go down easily.
Alabama
This is a long shot. The only way that the Crimson Tide could possibly face the Rebels is if BYU wins its conference championship so convincingly that the committee chooses to rank the Cougars above Ole Miss. This would bump the Rebels down to the No. 7 seed and Alabama down to No. 10; Notre Dame would fall out of the bracket in favor of the bottom two conference champions.
The Crimson Tide had an ugly 31-17 loss to Florida State to open the season; however, they rebounded and won eight straight games, including victories over No. 4 Georgia, No. 14 Vanderbilt and No. 19 Tennessee on the road. Their second loss came by two points, 23-21, against No. 8 Oklahoma.
