ESPN Projects Ole Miss to Reach 12-Team College Football Playoff in 2024

The Ole Miss Rebels could reach the College Football Playoff for the first time in the 2024 season.

The Ole Miss Rebels are one of the trendiest picks to reach the expanded College Football Playoff this season, and multiple analysts from ESPN have projected them to reach the field.

The publication brought in a panel of six analysts to discuss who would make the new-look playoff in 2024, and all six included Ole Miss in their individual projections. The story also discussed which programs would be making their first playoff appearance in school history, and alongside the Rebels, the USC Trojans, Penn State Nittany Lions, Arizona Wildcats and Missouri Tigers were all included as possibilities.

© Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Here's what Chris Low had to say about Ole Miss' chances this fall:

"Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin have knocked on the playoff door in two of the last three seasons. The Rebels are poised to knock that door down in 2024. ... Kiffin has pumped life into an Ole Miss program that has improved in all facets, and as schedules go in 2024, the Rebels appear to have one of the more manageable ones in the SEC."

Here are the projected seedings and matchups for Ole Miss in this expanded College Football Playoff field from each analyst.

David Hale: 8. Alabama vs. 9. Ole Miss

Chris Low: 8. Ole Miss vs. 9. Notre Dame

Bill Connelly: 8. Ole Miss vs. 9. Michigan

Andrea Adelson: 6. Ole Miss vs. 11. Florida State

Harry Lyles Jr.: 7. Ole Miss vs. 10. Alabama

Heather Dinich: 6. Ole Miss vs. 11 USC

Ole Miss Football Officially Welcomes 31 Mid-Year Enrollees to Campus

Although none of these projections have the Rebels earning a first-round bye, simply reaching the playoff would prove to be one of the best seasons in school history. It certainly seems to be achievable after Ole Miss secured its first-ever 11-win season in 2023, complete with a victory in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl over Penn State, another team projected to make this season's playoff.