Ole Miss remains No. 12 in AP Top 25, Coaches Poll ahead of CFP rankings

If Sunday’s updated top 25 rankings are any indication, Ole Miss could find itself right on the College Football Playoff bubble when the selection committee releases its first rankings Tuesday night.

Following their 45-15 win over Auburn, the Rebels remained at No. 12 in both the AP Top 25 and US LBM Coaches Poll on Sunday.

If Ole Miss lands in that same neighborhood Tuesday, it’ll be a pretty good indication that the Rebels are still very much in the playoff conversation.

But there’s a difference between being ranked No. 12 and actually making the 12-team playoff field, especially with automatic bids reserved for conference champions and other qualifiers.

And that’s what makes next Saturday’s game against Georgia so interesting.

Would a loss to the Bulldogs automatically eliminate Ole Miss from playoff contention? Or could the Rebels still put together a good enough resume to earn one of the available at-large bids?

Two weeks ago, before the Rebels’ ill-fated trip to Austin, Texas, it appeared that winning two of three games against Texas, Auburn and Georgia would put Ole Miss in an excellent position to make the playoff.

Now, the Rebels have gone 1-1 in that stretch, which should help frame just how important Saturday night’s game against Georgia has become.

Win, and Ole Miss would be as close to being a near-lock as a team can get in the regular season, only needing to take care of business against teams like Oklahoma and Mississippi State.

Lose, and the Rebels would likely need some help elsewhere.

But considering how chaotic this college football season has already been, that might not be asking for too much.

Below are the complete top 25 rankings released Sunday. The CFP selection committee’s first rankings of the season will be announced at 6 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN.

AP Top 25 College Football Poll

1. Miami (8-0)
2. Georgia (7-1)
3. Utah (8-0)
4. Notre Dame (7-1)
5. UCLA (8-0)
6. Indiana (8-1)
7. BYU (7-1)
8. Kentucky (7-1)
9. Alabama (6-2)
10. Texas (6-2)
11. Ohio State (6-2)
12. Ole Miss (6-2)
13. Texas Tech (7-1)
14. Wake Forest (7-1)
15. LSU (6-2)
16. Tennessee (6-2)
17. Houston (6-2)
18. USC (7-2)
19. Missouri (6-2)
20. Boise State (7-1)
21. Iowa (6-2)
22. New Mexico (7-1)
23. South Carolina (5-3)
24. Arizona (6-2)
25. Florida (5-3)

Others receiving votes: Northwestern 79, Oregon 55, UTSA 43, SMU 27, Virginia Tech 12, Duke 10, Minnesota 8, Liberty 4, Oklahoma State 3, Louisville 1.

US LBM Coaches Poll

1. Miami (8-0)
2. Georgia (7-1)
3. Indiana (8-1)
4. Utah (8-0)
5. UCLA (8-0)
6. Notre Dame (7-1)
7. Kentucky (7-1)
8. BYU (7-1)
9. Alabama (6-2)
10. Ohio State (6-2)
11. Texas (6-2)
12. Ole Miss (6-2)
13. Texas Tech (7-1)
14. Wake Forest (7-1)
15. LSU (6-2)
16. Tennessee (6-2)
17. USC (7-2)
18. Houston (6-2)
19. Missouri (6-2)
20. Iowa (6-2)
21. Boise State (7-1)
22. Arizona (6-2)
23. Northwestern (6-2)
24. SMU (6-2)
25. New Mexico (7-1)

Others receiving votes: South Carolina 91; Florida 81; UTSA 76; Duke 76; Virginia Tech 53; Oregon 41; Minnesota 10; Oklahoma State 9; Liberty 6; North Texas 4; Wisconsin 3; Memphis 2; North Dakota State 1; Nebraska 1; Cincinnati 1.