Ole Miss will not feature during Week 8, with the team on its first of two bye weeks. The Rebels sit at 5-2, with a 5-0 run from here until the end of the regular season, enough to get them into the 12-team playoff.
Two wins for an SEC team have always been believed to be enough to qualify. Today on ESPN College GameDay, one of the co-hosts said three wins could be enough due to the conference's nature.
ESPN College GameDay's Pat McAfee makes bold playoff statement
Ole Miss is one of several SEC teams in a bit of a hole when making the 12-team college playoffs. The Rebels are on two losses, and staying undefeated from here on out should be enough. Speaking on ESPN College GameDay, host Pat McAfee believes a three-loss SEC team could still make it into the playoffs due to the strength of the conference.
""There’s a chance a three-loss team, I think, from the SEC makes it into the 12-team playoffs. People are going to hate that, but that’s how football is played in the Southeastern Conference.""Pat McAfee on ESPN Colleg GameDay
He is right, depending on how it all plays out. If we look at the previous CFP rankings, teams have been in the top 12 with three losses. The last one was in 2022, after Week 13, when Kansas State was ranked No. 10, and Utah was ranked No.11, both with records of 9-3. Before that, I was in 2018, when No.9 Florida, No.10 LSU, and No.11 Washington were all on 9-3 after Week 13.
The way this season is playing out, it could be more likely. The bigger, deeper conferences are cannibalizing each other, meaning unbeaten seasons may become a rarity. It also could mean three-loss playoff teams could make the top 12 rankings after the regular season. In a time when college football has drastically changed, some things are unknown, such as records and rankings.