Ole Miss landed at No. 9 in the latest College Football Rankings, ahead of Georgia. The playoff system has the best four conference champions getting a round 1 bye, so they were seeded ten in the bracket, facing Indiana in Bloomington.
That will likely change with two more weeks of games and conference championship weekend. If the Rebels win out and other results go their way, they could jump more places and land a home game in round one of the playoffs.
Ole Miss two spots from home-field game in round one
Firstly, Ole Miss must beat Florida and Mississippi State to ensure they get in the top 12. However, if they manage to do that and teams above them lose, they will be a top eight-ranked team, meaning a playoff game at the Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
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Anybody can lose a football game, but realistically, who are the teams that could drop below the Rebels? This weekend, Indiana traveled to face Ohio State, ranked in the top five. Whoever loses may not fall out of the top 12 but would likely slip below Ole Miss.
Notre Dame is on thin ice despite winning its last eight games. Its schedule could be better, and its loss came against Northern Illinois, currently with a 6-4 record in the MAC. As an independent team, Notre Dame can not get one of the conference champions spots. It must win out, with games against unbeaten Army and USC to come.
Texas and Alabama are also in danger, with the Longhorns facing Kentucky, Texas A&M, and the Crimson Tide facing Oklahoma and Auburn. Both teams are playing well enough to win out, but Bama is in real danger. With one more loss, it will have three on the season, making it challenging to be ranked in the top 12.
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin won't be worried about where they are ranked, just as long as they are in. However, it would be special for the home fans to have a playoff game at the Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.