Ole Miss Plays Its Way Back into Championship Contention, Edges SEC Foes Georgia and Tennessee in Latest CFP Rankings
OXFORD, Miss. — As you know, the College Football Playoff Selection Committee on Tuesday night revealed its third assessment of the top programs in America and placed Ole Miss at No. 9 this week.
Ole Miss had an open week following its literal bludgeoning of then-No. 2 Georgia, and bye weeks aren’t always kind to the winners in such a tight-window environment, at least when it comes to rankings.
Sitting on pins and needles was certainly understandable in anticipation of the announcement beforehand, as was a deep exhalation immediately thereafter. The Rebels actually moved off the No. 11 hot seat, up two spots and into single digits after Saturday’s Week 12 losses by two teams previously ranked ahead of them — Tennessee and BYU.
Most importantly, Ole Miss stayed a step ahead of Georgia, the hottest program around for the past several years.
Staying ahead of the Bulldogs in the rankings was of major concern because Georgia rebounded from its defeat in Oxford and dismantled a very strong Tennessee team last Saturday, and did it so impressively that the Bulldogs leapfrogged Ole Miss in both the Coaches Poll and AP Top 25.
Alarmingly, past history indicated the Committee would follow suit as Rebels sat aghast, but the Committee did not. Instead, its members countered that the Rebels’ win over Georgia, and the manner in which it was accomplished, trumped any victory that Georgia may have claimed against the Volunteers. Decisiveness always plays well in the ring of debates.
College Football Playoff Committee chairman Warde Manuel spoke in a media teleconference after this week’s rankings were released, and he discussed the mindset of moving Ole Miss up and keeping them ahead of Georgia.
“Part of it was the loss by BYU and Tennessee that were ahead of them. Part of it was they had a great performance against Georgia. They were really dominant on both sides of the ball…We’ve been impressed with Jaxson Dart. We’ve been impressed with their defense. Two close losses against Kentucky and LSU. We’ve been impressed with them because they performed well and the teams ahead of them have had losses.”
Warde Manuel, Chairman of CFP Committee
By the numbers
At this stage of the season, with strength of schedule providing little valid insight in several cases, I’m looking at “head-to-head matchups” WITHIN the CFP Top 12. It is the first rule of tie-breaking and we have some phantom-like races that are just too close to call.
It’s a small sample size but it may provide a bit more awareness to the guesswork, and the possibility of seeing a rematch or two in the playoffs is strong.
Georgia is the only current Top 12 team the Rebels have played, and their 28-10 win is certainly paying dividends.
Oregon is 2-0 against Top-12 selections. The No. 1 Ducks beat current No. 2 Ohio State, 32-31, and won another squeaker against G5 Boise State, 37-34.
As such, I have Ole Miss and Oregon as my top-ranked teams. Both have Heisman-quality quarterbacks, outstanding defenses, and excellent coaching staffs. They are the two teams the others wouldn’t want to be lining up against right now.
Offensively, Ole Miss ranks fourth in the country in points per game (40.7), first in first-quarter scoring (12.3), second in yards per play (7.6), yards per passing attempt (11.0), and QB rating (183.4).
Defensively, the Rebels are first in the nation in yards allowed per rush (2.2) and in sacks per game (4.7). They are second in rushing yards allowed per game (79.9) and in points allowed in the 4th quarter (2.4). In ten games, Ole Miss has given up a grand total of 56 points after halftime.
Georgia, meanwhile, has beaten Texas and No. 11 Tennessee, but has lost to No. 7 Alabama (41-34) and the aforementioned Ole Miss.
Tennessee evened its Top 12 record with a win over Alabama. The Tide is also 1-1 with its win over UGA.
No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Penn State BOTH LOST HOME GAMES in their only “Top 12” matchups. The Water-Bottle Tossers got blasted 30-15 by Georgia in Austin at night, while the Nittany Lions fell to the Buckeyes in Happy Valley, 20-13.
Texas has surrendered the fewest number of yards in the country defensively, but its quarterback play has been well below expectations. Their regular season is far from over with their very first SEC road night game scheduled at Kyle field a week from Saturday.
The other three Power 4 entries, Big Ten Indiana, Independent Notre Dame, and ACC No. 2 Miami haven’t played a current Top 12 team this season. In fact, Indiana hasn’t played a Top 25 team from anyone’s poll. Current G5 representative Boise State gave Oregon all they wanted in Eugene before losing 37-34 to the Ducks.
The jury is still very much out on these four teams and how they’ll respond. I have them at 7 through 10 in the standings, just ahead of Texas and Penn State, as I wait to see more evidentiary football.
The Hurricanes (545) and Ole Miss (538) have the top two offenses in the country, well ahead of next-best Washington State (462) and Clemson (460) among Power 4 programs. Miami certainly has some potential but SMU is closing in fast on that ACC title game.
It’s becoming apparent that the “last team in” will be the Big 12 champion. The oddsmakers have that team being none other than Coach Prime’s Colorado Buffaloes.
With this requisite insertion, however, there must be an extraction. At the moment, it would be No. 11 Tennessee who’s escorted from the ballroom. The real bubble here, the true hot seats, are the Power 4’s double-digit placeholders. And Rivalry Week could certainly wreak havoc, as well.
And thinking ahead, should Ole Miss move up a notch over the course of the next few weeks, this would mean the Rebels would be hosting Colorado. And wouldn’t that be a blast! Lane and Deion. Jaxson Dart and Travis Hunter. A freaking NIGHT GAME at the Vaught!
But first, let’s take the Swamp.
David Walker
David Walker was named Louisiana’s High School Player of the Year at just 16 years old and, at 17, became college football’s first quarterback to earn Freshman of the Year honors. He remains the NCAA’s youngest-ever starting quarterback, a distinction that has stood for decades.
Transitioning from a wide-open high school offense to Emory Bellard’s renowned wishbone triple option, Walker excelled as a dual-threat quarterback. He graduated as Texas A&M’s all-time winningest quarterback and served as a two-time team captain, helping to transform a program that had endured 15 losing seasons in the previous 16 years.
After his playing career, Walker coached and taught algebra at six Texas high schools before moving into private business. In 2011, he published his memoir, “I’ll Tell You When You’re Good,” a title inspired by the coaching philosophy of Shannon Suarez, the Sulphur High and Louisiana High School Hall of Fame coach who was a significant influence on Walker’s life and career.
Walker’s compelling storytelling in his autobiography reflects the breadth of his experiences in high school and college football, and it is an undeniable fact that he saw more action than any athlete in the history of the NCAA. Since 2013, he has contributed to The Rebel Walk, sharing his insights and expertise with readers.
