In a rush to determine who will comprise this year's College Football Playoff, many analysts have prematurely tossed a few teams out of the discussion. Ole Miss, following a loss to Memphis, found itself on the proverbial outside, looking in. In the words of Lee Corso, "not so fast, my friend."
Memphis, currently enjoying its best season in school history, is ranked 16th in the nation and is well-positioned to be the Group of Five representative in a major bowl game this season. The Rebels' other loss came on the road at the Swamp to the 11th-ranked Florida Gators. Both losses this season came with Tony Conner and Laremy Tunsil sidelined.
Conner tore his meniscus against Alabama and the Ole Miss medical staff has been cautious with his rehab. Tunsil sat out the first seven games of the season, while NCAA investigators scrutinized his interactions with an agent. Tunsil's return to action Saturday resulted in the Rebels rushing for their most yards in an SEC contest since 2012. Jaylen Walton, Ole Miss' starting running back, ran for 97 yards against the Aggies and credited it largely to Tunsil's return.
"With him coming back, it gave everybody their comfort zone back," Walton said following the Rebels' 23-3 victory. "He looks awesome. He definitely proved why he should be one of the top (draft picks). Going against the best defensive end in our league, he did a great job tonight."
If Conner can return in the next month, which is a reasonable timetable given his injury, the Rebels have a chance to win the West and present the playoff committee with a difficult scenario. Bill Hancock, the playoff committee's chairman, has stated in the past that injuries and player availability does factor into their evaluation process.
If Memphis were to run the table and Ole Miss were to do the same, including a rematch win over Florida in the SEC title game, we could very easily see a two-loss team make the College Football Playoff. A stretch run as described would include three top-25 wins over LSU, Mississippi State, and Florida, giving Ole Miss five top-25 victories on the season. While this scenario remains unlikely, it's far from improbable, and in a season already filled with miracle finishes, it's far too early to rule out a potential two-loss conference champion from crashing the playoff party.
Here's a look at how the SEC shakes down after Week 8 with the conference power rankings:
SEC West Power Rankings
1. LSU (last week: 1)
Brandon Harris remains the key for the Tigers' title hopes and the youngster from Bossier City, La., keeps getting better. He's now thrown nine touchdowns on the season against zero interceptions. They'll need him to be even better with road games against Alabama and Ole Miss looming.
2. Alabama (last week: 2)
Coach Saban summed up Alabama's performance succinctly after the game: "They just found a way to win, because we didn't play that great." They’ll need to be much more explosive offensively in two weeks against LSU.
3. Ole Miss (last week: 4)
Tunsil's return lived up to the hype. The mammoth left tackle paved the way for the Rebels' running game, which racked up 230 yards on the ground against A&M.
4. Mississippi State (last week: 5)
Dak Prescott's school record for pass attempts without an interception (288) finally came to an end Saturday night. He offset his first pick of the season with a six-touchdown performance during a 42-16 dismantling of Kentucky.
5. Texas A&M (last week: 3)
The Aggies' midseason swoon is back for a second straight year. A&M was unable to eclipse 200 total yards against an ailing Ole Miss defense and Christian Kirk was completely shutdown from opening gun to final whistle.
6. Arkansas (last week: 7)
In a must-win situation for both their team and their head coach, the Hogs made just enough plays to come out on top. Given the four extra frames, holding Auburn to just 162 rushing yards was fairly impressive.
7. Auburn (last week: 6)
Barring an upset win down the stretch, Auburn will be home for the holidays this year. This program seems light years away from its 2013 incarnation, which propelled Auburn from worst to first in the SEC.
SEC East Power Rankings
1. Florida (last week: 1)
Treon Harris played well enough for the Gators to put a real scare into LSU in Death Valley. With an extra week to prepare for Jeremy Pruitt's defense, we'll see if Harris can build on his performance against the Tigers.
2. Georgia (last week: 2)
The Bulldogs struggled on offense two weeks ago without the services of Nick Chubb. They'll need Greyson Lambert and Malcolm Mitchell to carry the load if they hope to upset the Gators at the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party."
3. Tennessee (last week: 3)
The Volunteers' defense came alive Saturday, sacking Jake Coker five times. The Vols close out the season with five straight winnable games, so they'll need their 86th-ranked passing game to come into its own if they hope to win out.
4. Kentucky (last week: 4)
Big Blue Nation is in mourning after Prescott ripped through the Wildcat's defense like a shooting guard driving to the hoop. Patrick Towles' 19th consecutive start for Kentucky ended with a midgame benching, which could indicate that he has reached his ceiling.
5. South Carolina (last week: 6)
The Gamecocks travel to College Station this week with a definitive starter at quarterback. Interim head coach Shawn Elliott will be sticking with Perry Orth for the third straight game.
6. Vanderbilt (last week: 7)
The Commodores' SEC slide is finally over, thanks in large part to their wildly underrated defense. Vandy held Mizzou's Drew Lock to a minuscule 3.2 yards per attempt Saturday.
7. Missouri (last week: 5)
The Tigers have scored 12 points in their last three games. Mizzou's fifth-ranked scoring defense simply can't overcome the program's offensive deficiencies.
