OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss continues to land in the No. 6 or No. 7 range in national bowl projections, as several outlets released updated forecasts heading into Week 13.
The Rebels, now 10-1 and 6-1 in the SEC, remain a steady presence in the projected College Football Playoff field as they enter their final bye week.
The projections, collected by On3, show a near-unanimous view of Ole Miss as either the sixth or seventh seed. That placement would send the Rebels into the first round of the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.
Most forecasts include potential Cotton or Sugar Bowl matchups.
• Brett McMurphy of On3 has Ole Miss as the No. 6 seed meeting No. 11 Georgia Tech before a possible Cotton Bowl game against No. 3 Indiana. That projection is similar to several others.
• ESPN’s Mark Schlabach placed the Rebels at No. 7. His projection has Ole Miss meeting No. 10 Alabama in the opening round and then advancing to face No. 2 Indiana in the Cotton Bowl.
• ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura has the Rebels at No. 6 with a first-round matchup against Georgia Tech. His projection shows a possible Sugar Bowl meeting with No. 3 Texas A&M if the Rebels advance.
• CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford projected Ole Miss as the No. 7 seed, facing No. 10 Notre Dame in the first round. In that scenario, the Rebels would play No. 2 Texas A&M in the Sugar Bowl with a win.
• College Football News and Athlon Sports also placed the Rebels between No. 6 and No. 7. Those rankings continue the trend of Ole Miss holding a position inside the projected playoff field.
Lane Kiffin said the team will use this week to stay sharp before facing Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl.
“We’re going to practice and get better,” Kiffin said. “They’ve already had their long weekend. We’re going to stay focused on our rivalry game. Records don’t matter in that. Got to be ready to play.”
The Rebels are on pace for a third straight 10-win season, a first in program history. Their 10-1 mark keeps them within reach of a top-six finish, though most outlets maintain Ole Miss outside the top four.
The College Football Playoff rankings release is scheduled for Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Those rankings will provide the clearest picture yet of where Ole Miss stands entering the final week of the regular season.
Projected matchups and bowl paths
Ole Miss’ projected opponents vary across outlets but feature several common opponents.
Georgia Tech, Alabama, and Notre Dame appear most frequently as first-round possibilities. Each scenario reflects Ole Miss’ current standing between the sixth and seventh seed line.
A No. 6 seed would position Ole Miss to play at home in the opening round. A No. 7 seed would require a road game, depending on which teams fall into the 10–12 slots.
The Rebels’ 6-1 conference record adds support to their projected seeding.
Indiana and Texas A&M remain the two most likely second-round opponents if Ole Miss advances.
Both appear at the top of current projections, with A&M and Indiana commonly slotted as the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds.
The Cotton Bowl and Sugar Bowl are the primary landing spots for Ole Miss in the second round.
Those sites rotate annually as part of the CFP cycle and align with the Rebels’ seeding range in Week 13 projections.
Kiffin emphasized that the staff will continue to prepare for all postseason outcomes. Ole Miss has held a consistent position in projections for several weeks, and this week’s updates did little to change that outlook.
The Rebels will not play a game this week. Their focus remains on preparing for Mississippi State, which Kiffin described as important regardless of records.
The Egg Bowl carries stakes beyond rivalry, with seeding implications for Ole Miss in the final CFP release.
If Ole Miss secures a victory next week, their position as a No. 6 or No. 7 seed could be solidified. The Rebels will learn their final placement following the release of the playoff bracket in early December.
Multiple projections across national outlets have continued to reinforce the same theme: Ole Miss is firmly inside the CFP field, but still positioned just outside the top tier.
Key takeaways
• Ole Miss is projected as either the No. 6 or No. 7 seed in the Week 13 bowl and playoff forecasts.
• Most projections show first-round matchups with Georgia Tech, Alabama, or Notre Dame.
• Lane Kiffin said the Rebels will use the open week to prepare for the Egg Bowl, which could impact CFP seeding.
