Is Ole Miss heading for a return to a New Year's Six bowl game?
Two years ago Lane Kiffin led Ole Miss back to a New Year’s Six bowl game for the first time since its Sugar Bowl appearance at the end of the 2015 season.
Now in his fourth season with the Rebels Kiffin has them primed for a potential return to one of the top-tier bowl games once more.
Sitting at No. 10 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season, which will be updated on Tuesday, Ole Miss (8-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) has positioned itself to earn a second NY6 bowl bid in the last three years.
According to this week’s newest bowl projections, that is.
After being nearly a lock for the Citrus Bowl last week, the Rebels have moved themselves up the bowl pecking order after its 38-35 win over Texas A&M this past Saturday. The fifth straight SEC win has the bowl prognosticators’ attention.
No. 9 Oklahoma’s loss to No. 22 Oklahoma State has also helped bump Ole Miss up the ladder.
This week’s popular landing spots for Ole Miss is either the Cotton Bowl or Peach Bowl. ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura, CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm and Athlon Sports all project Ole Miss back in Atlanta on December 30 to play in the Peach Bowl.
Bonagura is projecting a rematch from the second week of the season with the Rebels taking on No. 24 Tulane (8-1). Ole Miss is the Green Wave’s only loss in 2023.
Palm and Athlon Sports each have No. 11 Penn State (8-1) playing in the Peach Bowl.
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach, Action Network’s Brett McMurphy and College Football News have Ole Miss heading back to Texas for a second straight bowl season, but playing in the Cotton Bowl on December 29. If the Rebels ended up in that game it would be the first time back at AT&T Stadium for them in 13 years, playing in the 2010 Cotton Bowl.
Schlabach and McMurphy have Ole Miss taking on No. 7 Texas (8-1), which there are enough storylines there to last until the Longhorns join the SEC in July. McMurphy has the Rebels as a 0.5-point favorite in a projected spread.
College Football News projects Penn State playing in Arlington opposite the Rebels.
Plenty can happen in the next three weeks, plus conference championship weekend the first weekend of December. For Ole Miss, its trip to No. 2 Georgia (9-0) and the Nittany Lions playing No. 3 Michigan (9-0) are two key dominoes that could alter next week’s projections greatly.
Full list of current bowl projections for Ole Miss:
ESPN –
- Kyle Bonagura (Peach Bowl; Tulane)
- Mark Schlabach (Cotton Bowl; Texas)
CBS Sports –
- Jerry Palm (Peach Bowl; Penn State)
Action Network –
- Brett McMurphy (Cotton Bowl; Texas)
Athlon Sports –
- Peach Bowl; Penn State
College Football News –
- Cotton Bowl; Penn State
