As No. 9 Ole Miss travels to Georgia, here are other games Saturday that could affect the Rebels’ CFP ranking

OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss has jumped up one spot in the latest College Football Playoff (CFP) ranking, advancing from the No. 10 team in the country to No. 9.  The Rebs will face the toughest test of the year this Saturday in Athens against the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs at 6 p.m.

Ole Miss fans, while we all anxiously sit around waiting for kickoff, here are six games you can watch that will not only be entertaining, but also play a role in the future ranking of the Rebs.

Alabama (8) at Kentucky at 11:00 a.m.

The Crimson Tide is coming off of a promising win over the LSU Tigers with all of the momentum in its favor, but as Ole Miss fans, we need Kentucky to do everything in its power to squeak out an upset. The Wildcats defeated Mississippi State last week, 24-3, and only lost to Tennessee (No. 12) by six the week before.

Earlier in the year, the Cats were even ranked as high as the No. 20 team in the country. Kentucky has shown its potential, but the Wildcats have had trouble reaching it, and you bet they are going to have to do so if they want a chance at Alabama. Regardless, an upset could eliminate Alabama from the top-10. 

Alabama is favored by 10.5 points.

Utah (18) at Washington (5) at 2:30 p.m.

Utah will travel to Washington with the challenge of handing the Huskies their first loss of the season. In the event that Ole Miss defeats Georgia, Washington losing at home against Utah would almost guarantee the Huskies would fall several spots in the rankings.

Clearly, it isn’t likely Washington will lose this game considering it beat Oregon, and Oregon beat Utah by 29 two weeks ago, but the Utes were able to bounce back quickly and dominate against Arizona State last week, winning 55-3. The Huskies are favored by 9.5 points as of Tuesday night, and it will be interesting to see what Utah does differently to try and dethrone Washington.

Washington is favored by 9.5 points.

Miami (FL) at Florida State (4) at 2:30 p.m. 

At No. 4, Florida State currently has a bid into the CFP, but if the Seminoles lose to Miami at home, it could definitely bring a ton of chaos into the rankings, even for Ole Miss. The Hurricanes have had a very unique 2023 season, to say the least. They have beaten teams like Texas A&M and Clemson but lost to Georgia Tech and North Carolina State.

The constant uncertainty from Miami (FL) is one of the main reasons I included them in this article. If a team with so many tough losses can somehow show up and defeat Florida State, the Seminoles’ playoff hopes could take a serious toll.

Florida State is favored by 14.5 points.

Michigan (3) at Penn State (10) at 11:00 a.m.

The Wolverines will travel to Penn State to take on their first ranked opponent of the season. As every college football fan knows, Michigan still has to face Ohio State (1) in the last week of the season, so a loss this week would simply pressure the Wolverines because with two losses, they would have no chance at the CFP. 

Penn State’s only loss this season took place against Ohio State (20-12) on October 21, but over their last two games, the Lions have returned to their true form, defeating Indiana and decimating Maryland.

At home, Penn State has won every game by at least a touchdown in a stadium that can hold over 105,000 people. Michigan is favored by 4.5 points, but this game will be extremely entertaining, to say the least. Rebel fans, root for Penn State!

Michigan is favored by 4.5 points.

Texas (7) at TCU at 6:30 p.m. and USC at Oregon (6) at 9:30 p.m.

A pair of games you should pay attention to are Texas (7) vs. TCU and USC vs. Oregon (6). Both games will either be going on during or after the Ole Miss game, but if the Rebs come out of Athens victorious, either of these upsets would propel them into an elevated ranking spot. It’s no secret that Texas and Oregon will be heavily favored, but TCU and USC both have the talent to make things interesting come Saturday. Cheer for TCU and USC Ole Miss fans!

Texas is favored by 10 points. Oregon is favored by 14.5 points. 

As I mentioned last week, none of the games will be nearly as impactful unless Georgia gets handed a loss on Saturday. Ole Miss has all the pieces they need to do so, but it will all come down to execution. Stay tuned to The Rebel Walk throughout the week for even more information, as well as an in-depth preview of Saturday’s matchup.