Two Reasons Why Saturday is Crucial For Ole Miss' Chances at a Playoff Berth

Can Ole Miss suffer back-to-back losses and still make the College Football Playoff?

Sep 28, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin reacts during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Saturday's game between Ole Miss and South Carolina is huge for a number of reasons.

The Rebels (4-1, 0-1 SEC) suffered an upset loss to the Kentucky Wildcats at home last week, and for many fans, that wasn't in the formula for Ole Miss reaching the new 12-team College Football Playoff. That doesn't mean the Rebels are out of the race, however, but it does mean that their margin for error from here on out is a lot slimmer than it was just seven days ago.

That begs the question: how crucial is it for Ole Miss to secure a win on Saturday? In short, very.

A two-loss Ole Miss team would not mathematically be eliminated from playoff contention, but those hopes would likely be on life support. The Rebels have a road trip to LSU on the horizon for next week, and home dates against Oklahoma and Georgia later in the year would also loom large.

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Pair those matchups with road trips to Fayetteville and Gainesville and the always-unpredictable Egg Bowl, and you're looking at a scenario where Ole Miss would need to essentially win out to feel even remotely good about its playoff chances come the end of the year. If the Rebels dropped back-to-back games to start conference play, it would be hard to imagine a scenario where they could regain momentum and run the table through November.

That's not saying that they couldn't do it, but the situation would look grim indeed if Ole Miss leaves Columbia with a loss on Saturday.

A win for Ole Miss this week wouldn't just keep its playoff hopes in decent shape, but it would also help the team regain some of the footing it lost in last week's subpar performance. The Rebels did not have the appearance of a playoff team against Kentucky, and how they respond this week (and in the weeks to come) will be paramount.

A lot of this goes without saying. It's obvious that in order for the Rebels to reach their preseason goal of qualifying for the College Football Playoff, they have to win ballgames and not have a repeat performance of last Saturday, but the reasoning is twofold. On one hand, Ole Miss simply needs conference wins, but on the other, it needs to regain some much-needed momentum before the remainder of SEC play.

It has an opportunity for a step in the right direction on both fronts this weekend. The Rebels just need to take care of business in a hostile environment to make it happen, but that's easier said than done in the Southeastern Conference.