It will still be a long, treacherous road for the 6-0 Ole Miss Rebels to reach the college football playoff this season.
For starters, ESPN's AllState playoff predictor had Ole Miss at a 60% chance to make it to the college football playoffs, one of the 8 SEC teams that will make the cut were the Top 12 to be announced tomorrow.
Lane Kiffin finally seems to have a squad good enough to make it to the playoffs, only if they can navigate through what lies ahead of them.
The first, and most obvious: Georgia Bulldogs
It goes without saying that the upcoming game against the Georgia Bulldogs might be the toughest obstacle standing in the Rebels' remaining slate. Entering as the severe underdogs, Kiffin's team is highly expected to pull off a major upset over the Bulldogs to remain steady in the college football playoff conversations.
But that is just the first obstacle in their course.
Second up: Oklahoma with possible John Mateer comeback
Even if they manage to hold off Georgia, they still have Oklahoma, South Carolina, Florida, and Mississippi State lined up ahead; any of which could pull off a shocking upset over the Rebels.
John Mateer's injury has surely slowed Oklahoma down. In a situation where Mateer comes back to start against Ole Miss and makes it his personal mission to make it his comeback story, it will be another equally tough obstacle in the Rebels' way.
Holding the OU QB back on a day like that would be a tough, tough job for Kiffin, one that they might cost them their undefeated streak if they win against Georgia in Week 8.
Billy Napier's revenge motive for a shocking upset from Florida
Florida fans have been rallying and lobbying on social media to make Lane Kiffin their next head coach, following Napier's disappointing record in the 2025 season. The Gators fans consider Kiffin to be the person who could turn around their program.
All the comparisons and noise might have already gotten to Billy Napier's head, and he might be planning to pull another shocking upset against Ole Miss like they did last season.
Napier will need a serious effort there, but if they do, the Rebels rankings will undergo a steep drop for a loss against a losing team.
Mississippi State breaks Ole Miss's undefeated record at the end
Even if Ole Miss survives all this without any damage or losses, facing Mississippi State as their final opponent of the season would bring its own concerns.
Although Kiffin has maintained a winning streak in the Egg Bowl, including their 26-14 win last season, MS State could still pull a wild upset over Ole Miss, breaking their perfect record so far.
Again, losing against an already losing record team will not affect well on their rankings.
Worst case scenario, Kiffin's squad loses more than two of his following games, and the Rebels will be struggling to even keep in the Top 10, let alone the college football playoff conversations.