OXFORD, Miss. — Don’t get too depressed over Ole Miss’ fall in Sunday’s polls. Really, the playoffs are all that matter these days and unless there is an almost impossible set of circumstances, the Rebels won’t be in it.
Ole Miss fell from No. 9 to 15th in the AP poll and 16th in the coaches poll, which usually has them a spot or two below the media.
After a 24-17 loss to Florida, nobody should be surprised. The Rebels will be in a bowl game that won’t get anybody excited unless it’s a Music City matchup in Nashville with Michigan. A trip to Tamp to play Iowa might make some fans happy, but more people can make the very reachable trip to Tennessee.
Most notable among all the rankings is moving South Carolina ahead of Ole Miss. The bottom line to that is if you’re going to drop a game, do it earlier rather than later. The Rebels went South Carolina and came away with a 27-3 win back on Oct. 5.
The strength of the SEC is showing in the polls as we come down to the end of the season:
Conferences in Polls
SEC: 8 (Nos. 3, 6, 7, 13, 15, 16, 20, 24).
Big Ten: 5 (Nos. 1, 2, 4, 10, 22).
Big 12: 4 (Nos. 14, 17, 19, 23).
ACC: 3 (Nos. 8, 9, 12).
AAC: 2 (Nos. 18, 25).
Mountain West: 2 (Nos. 11, 21).
Independent: 1 (No. 5).
Here’s how each poll ranked 1-25:
AP Poll
1. Oregon (11-0)
2. Ohio State (10-1)
3. Texas (10-1)
4. Penn State (10-1)
5. Notre Dame (10-1)
6. Georgia (9-2)
7. Tennessee (9-2)
8. Miami (10-1)
9. SMU (10-1)
10. Indiana (10-1)
11. Boise State (10-1)
12. Clemson (9-2)
13. Alabama (8-3)
14. Arizona State (9-2)
15. Ole Miss (8-3)
16. South Carolina (8-3)
17. Iowa State (9-2)
18. Tulane (9-2)
19. BYU (9-2)
20. Texas A&M (8-3)
21. UNLV (9-2)
22. Illinois (8-3)
23. Colorado (8-3)
24. Missouri (8-3)
25. Army (9-1)
Coaches Poll
1. Oregon (11-0)
2. Ohio State (10-1)
3. Texas (10-1)
4. Penn State (10-1)
5. Notre Dame (10-1)
6. Georgia (9-2)
7. Miami (FL) (10-1)
8. Tennessee (9-2)
9. SMU (10-1)
10. Indiana (10-1)
11. Boise State (10-1)
12. Clemson (9-2)
13. Alabama (8-3)
14. South Carolina (8-3)
15. Arizona State (9-2)
16. Ole Miss (8-3)
17. Iowa State (9-2)
18. Tulane (9-2)
19. Texas A&M (8-3)
20. BYU (9-2)
21. UNLV (9-2)
22. Army (9-1)
23. Memphis (9-2)
24. Missouri (8-3)
25. Illinois (8-3)
