The Ole Miss Rebels entered rivalry week with slim hopes of reaching the 12-team College Football Playoff, but how did the team's win over Mississippi State and ensuing upsets ahead of them in the rankings impact the Rebels' postseason standing?

Ole Miss football finished on top in a chilly, chaotic Egg Bowl. No. 16 Ole Miss beat Mississippi State 26-14 on Friday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. It was senior day for a Rebels team that sits at 9-3 (5-3 SEC) and awaits it fate with the College Football Playoff selection committee.

Ole Miss tailback Ulysses Bentley raced through the Bulldogs’ defense for an 89-yard touchdown and JJ Pegues capped a sterling career with a short touchdown run as the Rebels kept their faint playoff hopes alive with a 26-14 victory in the 2024 playing of the Egg Bowl at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford.

In the latest College Football Playoff Rankings released on Tuesday night, Ole Miss fell to No. 14, a drop of five spots from last week's mark of No. 9. That puts the Rebels in a difficult position in terms of reaching the playoff with one regular season game left to play followed by conference championship week.

Shaken up The losses by Ohio State and Miami shook up the CFP playoff picture. The Hurricanes hang on to the 12th spot in these predictions, however, with a better overall body of work than Ole Miss and South Carolina—which each have three losses.