Ole Miss Must Overcome History, Hostile Environment to Keep Playoff Hopes Alive This Week

The Ole Miss Rebels have a big test on Saturday when they travel to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks. Can they keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive?

Oct 7, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks defensive backs Jaylon Braxton (11) and Lorando Johnson (1) react after a pass break up during the first half against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The last time the Ole Miss Rebels walked away from Fayetteville, Arkansas, with a win, Houston Nutt was the team's head coach.

That game in 2008 saw the Rebels squeeze out a 23-21 win on the road over Nutt's former team, but from that point on, a trip to Fayetteville has meant a loss for Ole Miss. That doesn't mean all road trips to Arkansas have been a loss, however, as the Rebels have taken down the Razorbacks in Little Rock (2018), but all-time, Ole Miss has just two football wins in Fayetteville (2000, 2008).

If the Rebels hope to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive in the 2024 season, they'll need to overcome that history and a hostile road environment on Saturday.

Two slip-ups in conference play have hindered Ole Miss' playoff chances thus far. A loss at home to Kentucky (which looks worse by the week) and an overtime loss in Baton Rouge against LSU placed the Rebels in a situation where they need to win out in order to gain a berth in the CFP.

Reaching the playoff was the preseason expectation for this team after they returned so much production and added new pieces from the transfer portal, but their backs are against the wall now. Ole Miss had a step in the right direction last week in a win over Oklahoma, but there is still a lot of football to be played.

In fact, one could argue the road gets a little tougher for the Rebels beginning next week when they host the Georgia Bulldogs in Oxford, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. If Ole Miss wants to reenter the playoff conversation, it has to deal with the Hogs first, and that means exorcising some demons.

And that will be no easy task, considering the weapons that Arkansas has at its disposal. Quarterback Taylen Green is the most "dual-threat" signal caller that the Rebels will have faced when Saturday's game comes to a close, and keeping a lid on his arm and legs is critical to escaping Fayetteville with a win.

There are also weapons around Green on offense, including wide receiver Andrew Armstrong who has 722 receiving yards on the year. Ole Miss' defense is strong, but if its offense fails to find a rhythm on Saturday (something that has become somewhat of a pattern during conference play), then things could get hairy in a hurry.

On paper, Ole Miss appears to have the better team in this game, but if this college football season has taught us anything, it's that games are not played on paper. There have been upsets galore in the 2024 season, and if the Rebels want to revive their season, they need to make sure they don't fall victim to another one of those this weekend in a tough place to play.