Ole Miss falls short of playoffs but will head to one of these bowl games

Ole Miss capturing the Egg Bowl eased the pain of likely missing out on a playoff spot. The College Football Playoff rankings are on Tuesday, but looking at the Week 14 results, it looks bleak for the Rebels to crash the top 12.

The Rebels have now made five bowl games in five seasons under Lane Kiffin, a slight positive in a season with much greater goals. A win in the bowl would make it another double-digit winning season for Kiffin, making it three in five seasons.

The conference championship weekend is still to come, but we have a good idea of which bowl games Ole Miss will compete in. Which of the below bowl games will the Rebels be named in, and what opposition could they play?

Which bowl games could Ole Miss compete in?

ReliaQuest Bowl

Projected matchup: Ole Miss vs. Michigan

If Ole Miss is the third-ranked SEC team outside the playoffs, it will likely play in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Played in Tampa at the Raymond James Stadium, it was originally known as the Hall of Fame Bowl (1986-1995) and the Outback Bowl(1996-2002). It features an SEC and Big Ten team, with Ole Miss playing in it once in 2021, beating Indiana 26-20.

The Rebels could face Michigan after their shock win over No.2 Ohio State. They have faced the Wolverines just once previously, losing 35-3 in the 1991 Gator Bowl.

Las Vegas Bowl

Projected matchup: Ole Miss vs. Washington

The Las Vegas Bowl will feature an SEC and current/former Pac-12 teams. It's the 16th-oldest bowl game, first played in 1992. Ole Miss has never competed in the Las Vegas Bowl, held in the Allegiant Stadium, built in 2022 and used by the NFL team Las Vegas Raiders and college football team UNLV.

The Rebels have never played Washinton, so this would be a first. The Huskies finished the season 6-6, losing to No.1 ranked Oregon on rivalry weekend.

Citrus Bowl

Projected matchup: Ole Miss vs Illinois

If Alabama somehow gets into the 12-team playoff and the Rebels are ranked ahead of South Carolina, they should compete in the Citrus Bowl against Big Ten opposition at the Camping World Stadium. The Cheeze-It Citrus Bowl has had several previous names, including the Capital One Bowl. The game was first played in 1947, and it was named the Tangerine Bowl.

The likely opponent is Illinois, which finished the season 9-3 after a win over Northwestern on Saturday. The game would take place on New Year's Eve, and the Rebels have not faced the Fighting Illini before.