Six months ago, Ole Miss was the 'nice story' with a flashy coach and a backup quarterback from Ferris State, and no mention of being a potential National Champion anywhere. Today, Lane train has left, that backup is a Conerly Trophy winner, and the Rebels are one win away from the Final Four.
They’ve graduated from being the Cinderella to a Cinderella with a chainsaw.
And if you thought that the Rebels would lose their edge after Kiffin, Saturday’s 35-point dismantling of Tulane was a loud reminder that Pete Golding’s Ole Miss is a meaner, and arguably more dangerous version of the team that started the season.
Their next stop, New Orleans, is another test that Ole Miss needs to get through to establish itself as a solid national title contender.
Reaching there will mean navigating through the seven remaining programs one way or another. Here's how big of a threat those programs look like heading into the quarterfinals.
Power ranking Ole Miss's remaining opponents
No. 7 Miami Hurricanes
The wild card Hurricanes pulled off a gritty and ugly 10–3 road win at Texas A&M, but they are still the lowest-ranked team remaining in the list. They play well on both sides of the ball, and their explosive athletes are the reason they made it this far, but the primary reason for their ranking is their lack of consistency throughout the season.
At this point, Miami would be the team Golding would be the most comfortable to coach against. Plus their chances of making it to the top four look slim as they are with their upcoming opponents, Ohio State, being the heavy favorites. But, with Miami, you never know when they will pull the wildest upset.
The Hurricanes facing Ole Miss down the road, looks like a long shot as of now.
No. 6 Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Red Raiders bring a ton of frustration, veiled as wins, to the Playoff after consistently called the weakest in the Top 4.
They are the gritty underdogs who have a similar elide rushing attack as Ole Miss that exhausts the defenses. College Football got a good glimpse of that when they pulled off a dominant 34-7 win over BYU last week. The real question is whether they could pull it off against the heavy favorites Oregon Ducks, in the Orange Bowl.
Again, the chances of them meeting the Rebels as the bracket advances are low, but never zero.
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No. 5 Oregon Ducks
The Ducks are perhaps the team that resembles the Rebels' Playoff path the closest. The only difference is that the Rebels are done and dusted with all the coaching drama, while the Ducks continue to be plagued by it.
Dan Lanning has built a national title-level roster this season, but he is about to lose his two coordinators, like Will Stein to Kentucky and Tosh Lupoi to Cal. The uncertainity surorunding them puts them right in the middle of the threats to Ole Miss.
The two could still meet in the national championship showdown, but for that, the Ducks will have to start with taking down the Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl this week, before levelling up against either Indiana or Alabama down the road.
No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide
The Crimson Tide's playoff DNA is shining through their 'never say die' mentality this season. After the wild highs and lows they have had and overcome so far, college football knows better than to count out Alabama in January.
Another upset like Georgia, and DeBoer's Alabama could be the next big national championship threat Ole Miss faces down the road.
No. 3 Indiana Hoosiers
The reason the ultimate undefeated heavyweights in the Playoff list are ranked two spots low is pretty obvious. Curt Cignetti's squad could be the final hurdle between Ole Miss and the national championship.
Will they reach there untouched is the real question. They first take on Alabama in the Rose Bowl. Following that, they will draw Oregon or Texas Tech in the Peach Bowl in its national semifinal.
And as for Ole Miss, they will need to cover the remaining top two threats to get there.
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No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs
The ultimate, and immediate roadblock for the Rebels' CFP path. Ole Miss already knows the sourness of losing against Georgia; they will be doing everything to avoid tasting that again.
Both teams have a serious advantage of already playing each other in the regular season, and knowing everything about the other's strengths and weaknesses that comes with it.
New Year's in New Orleans will decide which of the two learned their lesson the best. Ole Miss has all the resources, and the underdog grit, plus the hunger for revenge to hold off the Bulldogs. Once they do that, they will face what is their toughest test this season in the semifinals.
No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes
The only reason Ohio State outscores Georgia as a serious threat to Ole Miss is their lack of familiarity. With Kirby Smart, Golding knows what he is dealing with: he's done it before.
With Ryan Day, though, it will be a whole another, a lot more difficult challenge for the Rebs. it is also the reason why the Buckeyes sound more threatening to Ole Miss's CFP path than Georgia.
If Golding could navigate his team past them, they will have all the confidence they need to potentially face Indiana in the national championship.