Ole Miss made history in 2021 with its first 10-win regular season in program history, and the Rebels have returned to national relevance in year two of Lane Kiffin's tenure in Oxford.

It seems like just yesterday that the college football season began in Atlanta for Ole Miss with a win over Louisville, but it's foreign now to remember that Rebel head coach Lane Kiffin was not present due to a breakthrough case of COVID-19. Even so, his team did not struggle against the Cardinals on Labor Day, routing them to the tune of a 43-24 final score.

FINAL: Ole Miss 43, Louisville 24

Following its neutral site win over Louisville, Ole Miss cruised to two home wins over Austin Peay and Tulane in Oxford, winning those games 54-17 and 61-21, respectively.

FINAL: Ole Miss 54, Austin Peay 17

FINAL: Ole Miss 61, Tulane 21

After a bye week, the first taste of adversity hit for the Rebels in Tuscaloosa as Ole Miss fell to Alabama 42-21. It was here that the famous, or infamous, "Get your popcorn ready" comment from Lane Kiffin came in a pregame interview.

FINAL: Alabama 42, Ole Miss 21

Following its loss at Alabama, Ole Miss returned home to a thrilling one-point win over Arkansas that came down to the last play of regulation.

FINAL: Ole Miss 52, Arkansas 51

The drama didn't stop for the Rebels with their win on Oct. 9. Ole Miss packed up and headed to Knoxville the following Saturday, and Tennessee fans pelted the field with debris in the fourth quarter of their loss to the Rebels.

FINAL: Ole Miss 31, Tennessee 26

The Rebels finally got a taste of some normalcy the following week in a day where Eli Manning's No. 10 jersey was retired in a win over LSU.

FINAL: Ole Miss 31, LSU 17

The Rebels once again traveled into the borders of Alabama and suffered its second loss there in as many games when it faced Auburn. Matt Corral was injured in the first half of the game, but he returned later and was unable to help produce any sufficient offensive momentum.

FINAL: Auburn 31, Ole Miss 20

That night in Auburn marked Ole Miss' final loss of the regular season. The Rebels bounced back with a win over former head coach Hugh Freeze and the Liberty Flames the following week.

FINAL: Ole Miss 27, Liberty 14

Then came what was likely the biggest game of the season for Ole Miss, a win over Texas A&M with ESPN's College GameDay in town.

FINAL: Ole Miss 29, Texas A&M 19

Following the win over the Aggies, Ole Miss finished a lackluster win over Vanderbilt, but a win just the same in Matt Corral's final home game as a Rebel.

FINAL: Ole Miss 31, Vanderbilt 17

Finally, Ole Miss closed out its regular season and punched its ticket to a New Year's Six bowl game with a win in the Egg Bowl over Mississippi State, the Rebels' second-straight win in the series.

FINAL: Ole Miss 31, Mississippi State 21

The Rebels now sit at No. 8 in the country according to the College Football Playoff Poll and await their bowl game destination, likely the Sugar, Peach or Fiesta Bowl.

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