Where experts project Ole Miss’ bowl game
OXFORD — For the first time in five years, it looks like Ole Miss will be playing in a bowl game.
Ole Miss is 4-4 with two games remaining in the 2020 season and prognosticators across the college football world are projecting the Rebels’ postseason fate. With a number of SEC tiein bowls available, and the in flux of attention Ole Miss has received because of first-year coach Lane Kiffin’s electric offense, there are plenty of options available for the Rebels this postseason.
Here’s a run-through of all the bowl matchups and options projected by sources across the media landscape.
The Liberty Bowl
The Autozone Liberty Bowl is the easiest destination for Ole Miss fans to get to. It’s just a quick trip up the highway to Memphis. Two experts project the easy destination as the obvious one for the Rebels.
ESPN’S Mark Schlabach and The Sporting News’ Bill Bender project a Liberty Bowl berth for Ole Miss. Schlabach picks the Rebels to face off against West Virginia while Bender foresees a matchup against Oklahoma State.
The Liberty Bowl will be played on Dec. 31.
The Outback Bowl
One of the many SEC vs. Big 10 bowl bids available, the Outback Bowl is in the third tier of bowl bids available to SEC teams after the New Year’s Six and the Citrus Bowl.
USA TODAY’S Erick Smith and The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel both project the Rebels will end up in Tampa for this game, and both project the Rebels to play teams that recently fell out of the playoff race. Smith projects the Rebels will face Pat Fitzgerald’s Northwestern squad while Mandel picks an Ole Miss versus Indiana matchup that would pit Indiana coach Tom Allen against the school for which he used to work.
The Outback Bowl is on Jan. 2.
The Gator Bowl
The Taxslayer Gator Bowl is an SECACC matchup also in the third tier of SEC bids, usually played opposite the Outback Bowl.
ESPN’S Kyle Bonagura and Athlon Sports’ Steven Lassan both project Ole Miss to play in Jacksonville in this game. Bonagura picks the Rebels to face NC State and Lassan picks Ole Miss to face Virginia Tech.
The Outback Bowl is on Jan. 2.
The Music City Bowl
The last potential destination for Ole Miss, so far, is the Music City Bowl in Nashville. Ole Miss last played in this game in 2013 when it was an SEC-ACC game, but the game is now an SEC-BIG 10 matchup.
CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm projects Ole Miss to face off against Iowa in this game, hosted in the home stadium of the Tennessee Titans. The Music City Bowl is on Dec. 30.
Ole Miss has two games remaining in the 2020 season, road matchups against LSU and Texas A&M. These games have not yet been given dates or times by the SEC.