OXFORD — Time is up. Pencils down. Ole Miss football has done all it can.
The No. 16 Rebels (8-3, 4-3 SEC) beat Mississippi State 26-14 on Friday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Neither the Rebels nor the Bulldogs played great, but running back Ulysses Bentley and quarterback Jaxson Dart made enough plays to secure a win against outmatched Mississippi State (2-9, 0-7).
Now Ole Miss players and coaches can sit back, watch the full Week 14 slate play out and see if the results are enough to improve the Rebels’ No. 14 ranking in the College Football Playoff.
This is the first season that 12 teams make the College Football Playoff. There are two ways to make it; either win a conference championship (the five highest-ranked conference champions qualify automatically) or be one of the seven next highest-ranked teams.
Here are some Week 14 games most relevant to Ole Miss, and the result the Rebels need to give their College Football Playoff chances some life:
Auburn at Alabama (2:30 p.m., ABC): Ole Miss has a clear-cut rooting interest in the Iron Bowl.
The Rebels haven’t played either Alabama (8-3, 4-3) or Auburn (5-6, 2-5) this season. Auburn is totally out of the CFP mix. Alabama is on the bubble.
Because Alabama is No. 13 in the CFP rankings, one spot above Ole Miss, its likely that any type of win over the Tigers keeps the Crimson Tide on top of the Rebels. That would mean, if a spot in the top 12 pops open, Alabama will grab it instead of Ole Miss. The Rebels need Alabama to get knocked out, and a loss to Auburn would do the job.
Verdict: Auburn over Alabama.
Texas at Texas A&M (6:30 p.m., ABC): The return of a massive SEC rivalry will matter in Oxford.
Texas (10-1, 6-1) is sitting pretty at No. 3 in the CFP rankings. If Texas loses, its regular season is over and the Longhorns are all but assured to stay in the bracket. Texas A&M is on more precarious footing. The Aggies (8-3, 5-2) are No. 20 in the CFP.
With a win, Texas A&M advances to the SEC Championship game and, with it, potentially earns a place in the 12-team field.
Verdict: Texas over Texas A&M.
Tennessee at Vanderbilt (11 a.m., ABC): The Commodores have another chance at a massive upset.
Vanderbilt (6-5, 3-4) beat then-No. 1 Alabama earlier in the year. Another big upset at home would go a long way for Ole Miss. Tennessee (9-2, 5-2) is safely in the College Football Playoff as things stand. Recording a third loss would send the Volunteers into extreme danger of plummeting out of the 12-team field.
Tennessee cannot make the SEC championship game, so this is likely a win-and-in final game for the Volunteers.
Verdict: Vanderbilt over Tennessee.
Purdue at Indiana: Even after a blowout loss at Ohio State in Week 13, Indiana (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) remained in the field.
The Hoosiers are No. 10 in the CFP rankings. Because Indiana has little on its resume that qualifies as a good win a loss, an unlikely loss to lowly Purdue (1-10, 0-8) would clear up a spot in the field.
Cal at SMU (2:30 p.m., ESPN2): SMU has already clinched a spot in the ACC championship game, but it has not locked down a bid in the CFP quite yet.
Cal (6-5, 2-5 ACC) could hurt the Mustangs (10-1, 7-0) to Ole Miss’ benefit. Bubble teams like the Rebels need the three ACC teams in the CFP rankings (No. 6 Miami, No. 9 SMU, No. 12 Clemson) to thin out. An upset win by Cal on the road would push SMU down the rankings.
Verdict: Cal over SMU.
Notre Dame at USC (2:30 p.m., CBS): After a promising start to the season in which USC beat LSU 27-20, the Trojans (6-5, 4-5 Big Ten) have faltered. While USC is squarely out of the playoff picture, Notre Dame (10-1) has a place in the 12-team bracket with a win.
The Fighting Irish are not headed to a conference championship game, so this is their last chance to stumble.
While a 10-2 Notre Dame team has an argument to stay in the field, a loss at USC in the final week could couple with the shocking 16-14 home loss Notre Dame suffered against Northern Illinois to knock the Fighting Irish from the bracket.
Verdict: USC over Notre Dame.
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
