Where Could Ole Miss Land in College Football Playoff? CFB Analyst Reveals

Where could the Ole Miss Rebels be seeded in the College Football Playoff, if they qualify for the field this season?

Mississippi Rebels running back Quinshon Judkins (4) and quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) celebrate Dart's touchdown run in the first quarter Auburn Tigers take on Mississippi Rebels at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. / Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

More and more predictions are rolling in that include the Ole Miss Rebels in projections for this year's College Football Playoff, but where could they be seeded if they reach the field?

Andy Staples of On3 recently revealed his projections for the new 12-team playoff, and while the Rebels are not projected to host a first-round game, they do come in at the No. 10 seed. Where would that send Ole Miss? To none other than a new SEC foe in the Texas Longhorns.

You can view Staples' full projections below.

NEW: Preseason College Football Playoff Projected 12-Team Field via @Andy_Staples🏆

Do you agree? ⬇️https://t.co/e69ZNkOYaG pic.twitter.com/GBsFTrY4KH

— On3 (@On3sports) June 11, 2024

The winner of this hypothetical Ole Miss-Texas matchup would have another difficult test the following week against the two-seeded Georgia Bulldogs. Other first-round matchups in this projection are Michigan vs. Notre Dame, Alabama vs. Boise State, and Oregon vs. Tennessee.

In all, Staples has five of the 12 teams in this year's CFP coming from the confines of the Southeastern Conference, a testament to how strong the league appears to be as the season nears. Alongside Georgia, the three other teams who received first-round byes were Ohio State, Kansas State and Florida State.

This season is largely viewed in a "Playoff-or-Bust" mentality for head coach Lane Kiffin and the Rebels by outside analysts. Ole Miss has arguably the best roster in school history on campus this year, and with the playoff expanding to include 12 teams, this appears to be a perfect opportunity for the Rebels to break through and earn a bid.

That stance is supported by the fact that Ole Miss won a New Year's Six bowl in 2023 over Penn State, and with so much returning and incoming production on this year's team, it's possible that 2024 could feature more talent in Oxford than the season prior.

The Rebels will open their season at home on Aug. 31 when they play host to the FCS Furman Paladins. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on SEC Network+.