Predicting the 12 teams that will make the new-look College Football Playoff is much more complex than predicting the previous four teams. The Athletic's Bruce Feldman was the latest analyst to try predicting the top 12 teams, with Ole Miss making it in.
Feldman had the Rebels as the No. 7 ranked team, and they would play the No. 10 ranked team, Penn State. It would be a rematch of the 2023 Peach Bowl, which Ole Miss won impressively, 38-25. The game would be played at the Vaught-Hemingway Stadium due to the Rebels hi
If Ole Miss made it to the quarterfinals, they would face No.2 ranked Georgia, a repeat of the week 11 regular season game. Lane Kiffin's side would face the Bulldogs in Athens, still bearing scars from the 2023 visit.
Picking a preseason top 25? That’s easy. Projecting the 12-team College Football Playoff field? That’s trickier.
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 20, 2024
But @BruceFeldmanCFB took a crack at it using the new expanded CFP formula: https://t.co/FFmOnEobEO pic.twitter.com/iRAcsaWrCi
The new playoff format will award automatic bids to the top teams from the four power five conferences and the best-ranked team from the group of five conferences. Feldman ranked Memphis as the best group of five team, which may surprise some. However, they are the favorites to win the American Athletic Conference 2024.
The biggest shock among his 12 teams was Miami making it in ahead of Clemson and behind the predicted ACC champions, Florida State. Clemson is the favorite to win the conference, ahead of the Noles and Hurricanes.
Will Ole Miss make the playoffs as a 10-2 team?
The Ole Miss schedule is not the most daunting in the SEC, which means the Rebels can't afford slip-ups against weaker teams. The Rebels' three toughest games are LSU on the road and home games against Georgia and Oklahoma.
If Ole Miss drops two of these games, would it affect its chances at a playoff spot? The obvious answer is that it will depend on how it loses those games and how its winning performances stand up. If the losses are close and the wins are impressive, then Ole Miss will still have a high chance of making it in.
If we see another blowout, like what happened against Georgia last season, then we may have to start worrying about that playoff spot. However, the team looks strong and can go into Baton Rouge and beat LSU while recording home wins over Oklahoma and Georgia.