Two 2024 Ole Miss Football Games Make 'Top 100' List From ESPN

The Ole Miss Rebels had some entertaining games on the field in 2024...even if they weren't all wins.

Florida Gators defensive back Sharif Denson (0) tackles Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Jordan Watkins (11) during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, November 23, 2024. The Gators defeated the Rebels 24-17 [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun] | Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ole Miss Rebels fell short of their goal of reaching the College Football Playoff in 2024, but fans in Oxford can perhaps take solace in the stance that their team put an entertaining product on the field, even if some of the most entertaining games involving the Rebels were the ones that sank their playoff hopes.

On Tuesday, ESPN released a countdown of the "100 best" college football games of the 2024 season, and two Ole Miss games made the cut, both of which were losses. Coming in at No. 41 on the list was Ole Miss' overtime loss to LSU in Week 7, and at No. 32 was the Rebels' late-season loss to Florida that essentially knocked them out of the CFP race.

Both of these games were painful watches for Rebel fans, considering what was on the line. At the time of the LSU loss, Ole Miss had already dropped an upset game to the Kentucky Wildcats (in what would be UK's only SEC win of the season), and it needed a win in Baton Rouge to keep its playoff dreams in decent shape.

The Rebels led for much of the game in Death Valley before some late heroics from the Tigers sank Lane Kiffin's bunch in overtime, handing Ole Miss its second conference loss of the season and putting its lofty goals in jeopardy in October.

Despite that loss, the Rebels rallied. Ole Miss would go on to rattle off wins against Oklahoma, Arkansas and Georgia to revive its playoff hopes, a hype level that hit its max after the goal posts came tumbling down in celebration after the win over the Bulldogs at home. It was then, however, that the next game on this list came back to haunt the Rebels.

Following a bye week, Ole Miss hit the road to Gainesville to take on the Gators. A win from the Rebels would set the program up for what in all likelihood would be a playoff berth, assuming it took care of business the next week against scuffling Mississippi State. But that was not to be as Ole Miss dropped an ugly 24-17 game in The Swamp, sinking its playoff dreams in the process.

Still, for the average college football fan who didn't have a rooting interest in these games, they were matchups for the ages that carried national implications. That's what earned them a spot on this list, even if their inclusion brings up bad memories for the Rebel faithful.

Ole Miss is now in preparation for the 2025 season, one that will be led by a different-looking roster than the one that took the field in 2024. The Rebels are replacing quarterback Jaxson Dart and a host of other weapons, but the coaching staff appears to once again be hitting the transfer portal hard with hopes of doing just that.

The new-look Rebels will open their 2025 season at home against Georgia State on Aug. 30.

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