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The Ole Miss Rebels earned a program-defining win on Saturday as they took down the top-five Georgia Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, and their chances for earning a berth in the 12-team College Football Playoff received a big boost as a result.
Since the Rebels (8-2, 4-2 SEC) suffered their second loss of the season against the LSU Tigers last month, Ole Miss has known that it had to win out in order to earn a CFP bid, and the Georgia game was one of the biggest hurdles left on the schedule. After toppling the Bulldogs over the weekend, how does Vegas view the Rebels' chances of reaching the playoff?
According to the current odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, Ole Miss is favored (-350) to reach the playoff, tied with the likes of Alabama, Tennessee and Notre Dame for the seventh-best odds on the list. There are obviously 12 teams who are favored to reach the field, and you can find those teams listed below.
Oregon Ducks (-10000)
Ohio State Buckeyes (-5000)
Texas Longhorns (-1700)
Penn State Nittany Lions (-850)
Indiana Hoosiers (-500)
Geo rgia Bulldogs (-500)
Alabama Crimson Tide (-350)
Ole Miss Rebels (-350)
Tennessee Volunteers (-350)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-350)
Boise State Broncos (-300)
Miami Hurricanes (-125)
As you can see above, Georgia (even with two losses) is still favored to reach the CFP, one of five SEC programs who are currently in the top 12 in terms of odds. Of those teams from the Southeastern Conference, Texas currently has the best odds at -1700.
Ole Miss is off this week, but it faces two more regular season games that it will have to win in order to feel good about earning a playoff bid. The Rebels travel to face the Florida Gators on Nov. 23, and they will then return home to host the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the annual Egg Bowl on Black Friday.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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4 takeaways from Vikings' preseason finale: Max Brosmer keeps dealing
The Vikings lost to the Titans, 23-13, during their preseason finale on Friday night, but the score is hardly what matters in these exhibition games. It's all about the various individual performances from players who are fighting to make the 53-man roster on Tuesday — or in some cases, making a push for a significant role when the regular season begins. Here are four takeaways from the action in Nashville (plus some other notes at the end). Brosmer continues to shine It's difficult to overstate how impressive Max Brosmer was on Friday night. The Vikings' undrafted rookie quarterback has assuredly locked up a roster spot with his play, and there's a real discussion to be had about whether or not he might already be suited to be Minnesota's No. 2 QB behind J.J. McCarthy. Brosmer has played well all throughout training camp and in the first two preseason games, but this was his best showing yet. He went 15 for 23 for 161 yards and a touchdown, and his numbers would've been even more impressive if not for a drop on perhaps his prettiest throw of the evening. Everything the Vikings like about Brosmer was on display in this game. The former Gopher operated the offense smoothly and was both decisive and accurate with the football. He faced a tough task early against Jeffery Simmons and Tennessee's first-team defense, but he handled it admirably. And when the Titans' starters departed, Brosmer lit them up. He rifled a hole shot to Dontae Fleming for 36 yards. He then capped that drive with a touchdown pass to Bryson Nesbit. As mentioned earlier, neither of those were Brosmer's best throw of the game. That came on a fourth down later in the third quarter, when he floated a perfect deep ball to Fleming for what should've been close to a 40-yard gain. Unfortunately, the rookie receiver was unable to complete the process of the catch as he fell to the ground. Brosmer has given the Vikings a lot to think about — not in terms of his roster status, but in terms of how high he might climb on the depth chart. Rypien not as sharp The Vikings played two quarterbacks in a rotation on Friday. Brosmer got the start, but Brett Rypien also handled plenty of work. And while the former shined, the latter was far less sharp. Rypien's final line was 7 of 14 for 62 yards and a pick. He made a few nice throws, but it wasn't particularly smooth overall. Rypien's interception actually wasn't his fault, as former Vikings defensive tackle James Lynch hit him while he threw, causing the ball to float easily into the arms of a Titans defender. However, he should've thrown a second pick in the fourth quarter (it was overturned to an incomplete pass upon review), so it evens out. With Brosmer having seemingly secured his roster spot, Rypien's fate appears to be sealed. Unless the Vikings decide to waive Sam Howell, who didn't play in this game, Rypien figures to be waived and brought back to the practice squad as QB4. The punter battle might be over This game may well have ended the Vikings' punting competition — and not because of any punt. The role of holder is perhaps just as important for a punter as their primary job description. As such, it was quite notable when rookie Oscar Chapman bobbled a hold, resulting in Will Reichard missing a 55-yard field goal wide left. And it was similarly notable when Ryan Wright's quality hold led to Reichard drilling a 58-yarder not long after. Chapman has done well as a punter to make this a real competition. But if the Vikings can't trust him as a holder, he can't win the job. Wright seems likely to retain his job for a fourth season, with Chapman remaining on the practice squad via the International Player Pathway program (which grants a bonus 17th practice squad spot). Price remains fascinating as a returner One of the more intriguing players from this year's Vikings preseason has been wide receiver Myles Price. He caught a touchdown pass in the opener, but more notably, he's turned heads with his skills as a returner, including an 81-yard kick return in the second game last weekend. Price had another nice return in this game, a 28-yarder that didn't count due to a penalty. He looks confident with the ball in his hands and is able to make people miss in the open field. But there's one concern: his ability to actually catch the ball without issue. It's been part of the equation throughout training camp and the preseason, and in this one, he nearly muffed a punt before managing to hold on. Price seems to have real juice as a returner, but if he's going to make the roster and potentially earn that role, the Vikings have to be able to trust that he can catch it cleanly. Lightning round Outside linebacker Chaz Chambliss stood out. He had a team-high seven tackles, showing up both on defense and special teams. RB Zavier Scott had a big 23-yard carry early on, but he may have gotten injured shortly after that? It's not totally clear. Fleming (two catches for 53 yards) could've had quite the receiving line if he had held onto the deep ball from Brosmer. Jeshaun Jones played well, catching all four targets for 41 yards. Levi Drake Rodriguez, Austin Keys, and Jonathan Harris recorded sacks. Jay Ward got hurdled by a Titans running back, but made up for it with an impressive TFL later. Zemaiah Vaughn had a rep that he'll really not enjoy watching on film. He slipped and whiffed badly on his tackle attempt against Van Jefferson, who raced up the sideline for a 65-yard touchdown. Cornerback depth is a serious question for the Vikings. It's not great for Mekhi Blackmon that he was playing in this game at all. Reichard came up just short from 63 yards out to end the first half. Later, Titans kicker Joey Slye drilled one from 63 that would've been good from 70. The preseason has come to an end. Let the real games begin. More Vikings coverage
Bengals have major PR blunder over invite to former player for Ring of Honor ceremony
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Pat McAfee has strong reaction to Hall of Fame honor
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