Was there enough chaos for Ole Miss to get a playoff spot?

There was plenty of chaos amongst the 13 teams ranked ahead of Ole Miss, but it remains to be seen if it was enough to get the Rebels into the College Football Playoff.

After Saturday’s games, the SEC appears in line to have three teams make the playoff – Texas, Georgia and Tennessee. The Rebels needed that number to grow to four and be that fourth team and the SEC could realistically have a fourth team make the playoff, but it won’t be Ole Miss (at this point).

Auburn wasn’t able to knock off No. 13 Alabama, which will most likely leave Ole Miss behind them in the next playoff rankings. But with No. 15 South Carolina beating No. 12 Clemson, the Tide, Rebels and Gamecocks should all move up at least one spot.

That’s not even taking into consideration the two biggest upsets on Saturday. Michigan beating No. 2 Ohio State probably has more of an impact on playoff seeding than the Buckeyes’ playoff berth. But No. 6 Miami losing to Syracuse, and its spot in the ACC title game, could be the chaos Ole Miss was hoping for.

"We just kept swinging"

– Our QB1 🎯 pic.twitter.com/r0ah9WEkl2

— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) December 1, 2024

No. 9 SMU will face Clemson for the ACC title game, leaving the Hurricanes with a 10-2 record that includes losses to Georgia Tech and Syracuse. A big question the committee will have to answer is how much does it value a two loss ACC team against a three loss SEC team?

If the SEC has the advantage, that’s good news for Ole Miss (and Alabama). If the committee favors the ACC, though, Ole Miss can start making travel plans for its bowl game.

The Rebels’ best chance may be SMU beating Clemson in the ACC title game. The Mustangs should make the playoff even with a loss in the ACC title game and a Clemson win would “steal” a playoff spot from a bubble team.

That bubble team would most likely be Alabama or Ole Miss.

There’s still some games to be played Saturday (specifically the Big 12 west coast games) that’ll impact the Rebels’ playoff hopes and next week’s conference championship games.

But if Ole Miss is in the top 12 next week, the Rebels will need send a few Hotty Toddies up to Syracuse.

If you are looking for the best video out there from start to finish this is the one #MichiganFootball #OhioState pic.twitter.com/QaWSpT3YJ9

— Nate in Appleton (@NateAndree) November 30, 2024