Rebels Watching Conference Championships, CFP Rankings and NY6 Bowl Projections

OXFORD, Miss. — With Conference Championship week upon us, all the New Year’s Six bowl game selections will soon be revealed, and the Ole Miss football team is in Oxford waiting on everything to unfold.

After their 31-21 Egg Bowl victory over State on Thanksgiving, it seems as if the Rebs are a lock for a NY6 bid, but Lane Kiffin and company will have to wait and see who wins the long-awaited SEC Championship matchup between West champion Alabama and East champion Georgia on December 4 to know for sure where Ole Miss will be headed. 

Here are the latest New Year’s Six Bowl projections according to CBS Sports:

As of now, CBS Sports projects the Rebels to be picking peaches out in Atlanta come Dec. 30th, with the matchup against the Pitt Panthers being the most common opponent.

However, these are just predictions based on how the experts think the conference championships and subsequent CFP rankings will shape up. 

But if the Crimson Tide can pull off the upset this weekend against the Bulldogs, it will very likely send both SEC teams to the College Football Playoff, leaving the Rebels as a lock for the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. The Sugar Bowl takes the top-ranked SEC team that is not in the CFP Playoffs.

Or, theoretically, the Tide could lose so badly that they drop down below the Rebels in the CFP rankings, meaning Ole Miss would get the bid to the Sugar Bowl. There are just still any number of scenarios that could happen. But whatever the case, with a 10-2 season — and the most wins in the regular season in school history — the Rebels have put themselves in a prime position to secure a top bowl.

In the words of Rebel running back Jerrion Ealy after the Egg Bowl victory, “Smells like Sugar out here.”  But then again, it could also taste like peaches. 

And, to muddy the waters even more….we are also hearing the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona could be a potential bowl spot for Ole Miss with Notre Dame the Rebels’ projected opponent.

The next CFP Rankings will be released this evening, so stay tuned to The Rebel Walk for the latest updates and projections.

Hotty Toddy!

(Feature image credit: Josh McCoy, Ole Miss Athletics)