What is 'The Hump' For Ole Miss Rebels in 2024?

A college football analyst recently broke down what he considers to be "the hump" the Ole Miss Rebels should strive to get over in 2024.

Dec 30, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin after a victory against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

OXFORD, Miss. -- Ever since Lane Kiffin was hired in December of 2019, the Ole Miss Rebels have been on a quest to get over the "hump."

What is the hump for Ole Miss, though? The Rebels picked up 11 wins for the first time in program history last season, but they have always struggled to play in the postseason games that really matter. Ole Miss has never been to an SEC Championship Game and has also never made an appearance in the College Football Playoff.

That could change in 2024, however, as Kiffin has curated one of the most talented rosters in the country in an attempt to make this upcoming season the best one in Ole Miss history. CBS Sports analyst Josh Pate recently discussed what he believes is Ole Miss' "hump" in 2024 after Kiffin bolstered his roster with some of the best players in the NCAA Transfer Portal this offseason.

"For me [with Ole Miss] it's make the playoff and win a game in the playoff," Josh Pate said via his podcast. "That would feel like doing something above and beyond what they've already done."

Pate explains that while some may argue that just making the playoff would be enough for Ole Miss to get over the hump, he believes the Rebels have already played well enough in recent memory to make a 12-team postseason field.

"Two of their last three finishes would've been good enough to make a 12-team playoff field," Pate argues. "So just if they make it in does not mean that they are all of a sudden doing something that they haven't done. They aren't playing at any different level, in other words, than they had already been playing at. It's just that we lowered the bar in this sport as to what it takes to make the playoff."

Pate is correct. If the 12-team format was available in 2021 or 2023, the Rebels would have likely made the playoff, so earning their first official playoff berth feels almost too easy. In my opinion, the hump for Ole Miss in 2023 should be playing in the SEC championship Game and/or winning a playoff game.

Time will tell if the Rebels have what it takes to accomplish the numerous goals that are being set for the upcoming season.