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Journey to Atlanta: Ole Miss’ division championship road map
By Tom Brew
Published:
The day after Ole Miss’ thrilling 43-37 victory over Alabama on Sept. 19, the Rebels basked in the glow of being ranked No. 3 in the country. There was talk of taking down the king and chasing a national championship.
The talk continued, but the playing at a high level has not.
Since then, Ole Miss has had bad losses at Florida and Memphis and they’ve slipped all the way to No. 24 in this week’s Associated Press poll.
Despite all that, Ole Miss is still in the driver’s seat when it comes to winning the SEC West. Win the last five games, and a trip to Atlanta awaits.
Of course, winning five straight games against SEC West opponents is going to be a battle. Are the Rebels up for it? We’ll see soon enough.
MOST IMPORTANT GAME
There’s no time like the present in the brutal SEC West, so it’s hard to look past Saturday for the Rebels’ most important game. Texas A&M visits Oxford this weekend and the Aggies are very good, the somewhat-ugly loss to Alabama last week notwithstanding.
It’s rare when you can use “control your own destiny” and “coming off two bad losses” in the same sentence, but for Ole Miss, well, you get the drift. The defeats at Florida and Memphis were shocking, not necessarily for the outcome as much as how much the Rebels were dominated in both games.
Despite that, if Ole Miss runs the table they’re heading to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game for the very first time. Everything it wants is still all within its control. That’s what happens when you get that early win at Alabama. Of course, running the table means the Rebs need to start playing better, and fast. Nothing is going to come easy in the final five games of the season.
POTENTIAL LETDOWN
Assuming Ole Miss gets past A&M, be careful with that road trip to Auburn the following weekend. The Tigers have been a massive disappointment this season – probably the biggest disappointment in the SEC – but they’re still dangerous at home. If the Rebels start peaking ahead to that Nov. 7 showdown with LSU, this could be a huge trap game.
Auburn, for all its obvious flaws so far this season, is not going to go quietly into the night. The Tigers may well muster up all they’ve got to knock off Ole Miss. Be forewarned.
X FACTOR
It may turn out to be nothing, but for now the most watched medical show in Mississippi is called the “Robert Nkemdiche Concussion Protocol Watch.” Nkemdiche went out in the second quarter of the Memphis game after taking a hit to the head, and he did not return. Following the protocol is a day-to-day thing, so he might very well be back on the field Saturday.
Or he may not.
Concussions are a tricky thing and it’s not like Ole Miss is going to be doling out hourly updates on his status. The Rebels looked lost without him last Saturday at Memphis. If he winds up missing several games, you can forget all about winning the SEC West.
REMAINING SCHEDULE
- Ole Miss vs. Texas A&M on Oct. 24
- Ole Miss at Auburn on Oct. 31
- Ole Miss vs. Arkansas on Nov. 7
- Ole Miss vs LSU on Nov. 14
- Ole Miss at Mississippi State on Nov. 21
Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist and author who is covering SEC football for Saturday Down South.
