OXFORD, Miss. — With one of the nation’s most balanced offenses and a defense finding its rhythm, Ole Miss is inching closer to a College Football Playoff berth.
Brad Crawford’s latest CBS Sports bowl projections have Ole Miss listed as the No. 9 seed in the 12-team CFP field, mainly off the Rebels’ road win at Oklahoma as the turning point in their 2025 campaign.
That victory, described by CBS Sports as “a signature mark this season for Ole Miss,” has given the Rebels a strong foothold in the national playoff conversation.
“For the first time in his coaching career with the Rebels, Lane Kiffin has a road win against ranked competition in SEC play,” the projection noted. “The victory at Oklahoma was a signature mark this season for Ole Miss and all but solidified a playoff spot for the Rebels given what’s left on the schedule.”
Road win shapes Rebels’ path
The CBS Sports bracket places Ole Miss behind a tight cluster of playoff contenders that includes Ohio State, Alabama and Indiana.
The Rebels’ projected ninth-seed position reflects both their current résumé and the committee’s growing confidence in their balance and resilience.
Analysts described the Oklahoma result as the kind of defining performance the selection committee values most — a statement win against a ranked opponent on the road.
It was also a moment of reassurance for Kiffin’s team, which had absorbed a tough loss at Georgia just a week earlier.
The report added that “there’s more work to be done down the stretch to get to the playoff,” signaling that while Ole Miss is inside the field for now, the margin for error is slim.
Tight margins in the SEC race
Within the broader SEC picture, Ole Miss’s rise contributes to a historic conference outlook.
CBS Sports projects the SEC to potentially send five teams to the playoff, including Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.
That depth reflects the league’s dominance but also increases the pressure on each program’s final stretch.
The Rebels’ placement at ninth means they would face the eighth seed in the opening round — a matchup that could hinge on late-season results from other conferences.
The Rebels’ positioning also mirrors the national narrative surrounding Lane Kiffin’s ability to sustain success beyond early-season fireworks.
Despite being mentioned in speculation for the Florida job, CBS Sports credited Kiffin for keeping his team focused.
“Directing his team’s focus on this game and not his name in the mix for Florida’s coaching vacancy,” the story noted was seen as pivotal to their performance in Norman.
Holding ground down the stretch
Ole Miss’s remaining games will test its consistency more than its ceiling.
Having cleared one of the season’s toughest hurdles, the Rebels must now avoid any upset that could pull them out of contention.
A strong finish — particularly against divisional opponents — would solidify their playoff case.
In previous seasons under Kiffin, late-season losses often derailed otherwise promising runs. This version of Ole Miss, however, appears steadier, benefiting from improved line play and quarterback Trinidad Chambliss’s development into a dual-threat leader.
While the CBS Sports projections offer no guarantee, they highlight what Ole Miss has built.
Three key takeaways:
- Ole Miss is projected as the No. 9 seed in the latest College Football Playoff bracket from CBS Sports.
- The Rebels’ road win at Oklahoma is considered the defining victory that secured their current playoff standing.
- Lane Kiffin’s team must maintain focus and consistency through November to stay inside the 12-team playoff field.
