How Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss football can make SEC Championship Game for first time
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This story has been updated with new information
OXFORD — Ole Miss football needs some help to make the SEC Championship Game for the first time.
The Rebels’ path to reaching the game in Atlanta on Dec. 6 (3 p.m., ABC) first requires winning the final game of the season.
No. 6 Ole Miss (10-1, 6-1 SEC) faces Mississippi State (5-6, 1-6) in the Egg Bowl on Nov. 28 (11 a.m. CT, ABC).
Winning the Egg Bowl could prove to be difficult. Discussions around coach Lane Kiffin‘s future in Oxford have overshadowed the game. LSU and Florida have courted Kiffin, and both teams are candidates to hire him away from Ole Miss.
Athletic director Keith Carter said Kiffin will coach the Egg Bowl and that an announcement about Kiffin’s future is expected Nov. 29.
If the Rebels can beat the Bulldogs, here are the other results they need to reach the SEC Championship Game.
Alabama, Texas A&M games matter for Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
Ole Miss can reach the SEC Championship Game with a win and losses from No. 10 Alabama (9-2, 6-1 SEC) and No. 3 Texas A&M (11-0, 7-0).
It’s not a tremendously far-fetched scenario. The Rebels will be favored to beat MSU.
The Crimson Tide and Aggies are both on the road in intense rivalry games.
Alabama plays at Auburn (5-6, 1-6) on Nov. 29 (6:30 p.m., ABC). Like Mississippi State, the Tigers are fighting for a sixth win and bowl eligibility.
Texas A&M plays at No. 16 Texas (8-3, 5-2) on Nov. 28 (6:30 p.m., ABC). It will be the 120th time the rivals have faced off, but the first time in Austin, Texas, since 2010.
Why doesn’t Georgia vs Georgia Tech result matter for Ole Miss?
No. 4 Georgia (10-1, 7-1 SEC) is not guaranteed to make the conference title game, but the Bulldogs will finish above the Rebels in the SEC standings.
The Bulldogs close the season at Georgia Tech, which is an ACC opponent. A loss wouldn’t matter in the SEC standings. Because Georgia has a head-to-head victory against Ole Miss, a one-SEC-loss Georgia team would top a Rebels team with the same record.
SEC Championship Game tiebreakers
If Texas A&M, Georgia and Alabama finish tied with one loss, the Rebels and Bulldogs would advance.
Here’s the tiebreaker process.
- Head-to-head results among tied teams
- Record versus all common conference opponents among the tied teams
- Record against highest (best) placed common conference opponent in the conference standings, and proceeding through the conference standings among the tied teams
- Cumulative Conference winning percentage of all conference opponents among the tied teams
- Capped relative total scoring margin (see Appendix A) per SportSource Analytics versus all conference opponents among the tied teams
- Random draw of the tied teams
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Can Ole Miss make SEC Championship? Alabama, Texas A&M games key
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