Ole Miss' Latest Bye Week Comes With Revived College Football Playoff Hopes

The Ole Miss Rebels have a new breath of life after taking down the Georgia Bulldogs last week.

Nov 9, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) reacts during the second half against the Georgia Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

This bye week is a little different for the Ole Miss Rebels.

The first open date in Oxford came on the heels of the team's heartbreaking loss to LSU in October. That marked the Rebels' second SEC loss of the season, meaning they now essentially had to win out in order to have a shot at a College Football Playoff berth.

So far, Ole Miss has done just that. Wins over Oklahoma, Arkansas and Georgia have revived postseason hopes, and if the season ended today, the Rebels would be in the CFP field with a seed of 11.

There's still work to do (the Rebels travel to face Florida before hosting Mississippi State to close the regular season), but last week's win over Georgia has provided a confidence boost to this team and fan base. The Bulldogs were always going to be a formidable opponent in Oxford, but Ole Miss not only won that game; it dominated in the process.

It seems like the Rebels are in a completely different place in this open date than they were about a month ago, and head coach Lane Kiffin provided a theory on why Ole Miss appears to be peaking at the right time.

"This was kind of like an NBA free agent team," Kiffin said on Monday. "It was put together late, there's a lot of late pieces, offseason surgeries. I think what you're seeing is just like when those teams are put together, they take longer sometimes than teams that have been together for years, and then they perform better later in the year.

"They screw up early in the year sometimes. I think that's what you're seeing here. Some people would say right now we're playing as well as anybody in the country, which we are, but I think that's a product of that."

Again, nothing is certain yet. There are still other teams vying for a spot in the CFP, and Ole Miss has to take care of business in Gainesville and in the Egg Bowl to have a shot. But the point remains: there's a positive vibe around this program in mid-November, and that's a good place to be.

Don't take our word for it, though. National pundits are feeling the same way.

"I think the most dangerous team in the SEC right now is Ole Miss," College Gameday's Desmond Howard said on Saturday. "I think Ole Miss is the most dangerous reason for one reason: when you slay the dragon, it does a lot for the the confidence of your team.

"Now, they no longer think they can beat Georgia or one of the big dogs; they no longer believe. They know they can do it. That's a dangerous thing right now for a team that has as much talent as Lane Kiffin has."

The preseason goals are still on the table for the Rebels, and after such a monumental win a week ago, that makes for a much nicer bye week.