Why Every Week Has Been a 'Playoff Game' For Ole Miss Football WR Jordan Watkins

Ole Miss Rebels wide receiver Jordan Watkins has been viewing every week as a "playoff game" since his team's loss to LSU.

Nov 9, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Jordan Watkins (11) runs after a catch during the first half against the Georgia Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Ole Miss Rebels' season has been a rollercoaster ride, starting 4-0 against non-conference opponents, losing two of their first three conference games, and earning blowout wins over Arkansas and Georgia.

The Rebels' late-season rally has been in large part thanks to senior wide receiver Jordan Watkins.

With Ole Miss' No. 1 receiver in Tre Harris going down with an injury, Watkins has stepped up big time, including a record-breaking eight-catch, 254-yard and five-touchdown performance in the blowout win over Arkansas. On Monday, Watkins shared not only his but the team's mindset since the LSU loss, which has helped them in this late season push.

“Every game has been a playoff game for us since that second loss at LSU," Watkins said. "It’s win or lose for us. If we lose, we're obviously not in playoff contention. Just knowing that we've got to win every game from here on out has been [the mindset] since LSU for us. I think you can see that as far as how well we're playing on both sides of the ball.”

This "back-against-the-wall" mentality has obviously paid off since the loss in Baton Rouge as the Rebels have gone 3-0 in that span, including the dominating, program-defining win over Georgia on Nov. 9.

Ole Miss' major victories under this newly-adopted mindset have propelled them to 9th in the AP Poll, and the Rebels will find out on Tuesday where they are seeded this week in the CFP Committee's eyes.

The Rebels still need to come away with two more wins against SEC opponents, but coming off an open date, they received an extra week to prepare for the challenging two weeks ahead. That road begins with a trip to Florida on Saturday followed by the Egg Bowl in Oxford on Black Friday.

Kickoff between the Rebels and Gators on Saturday is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT, and the game will be televised on ABC.