Good morning, Everydayers. Five days now stand between the Rebels and Halloween night in Oxford, when Auburn comes to Vaught-Hemingway — and this group gets there off a 34-27 loss at Texas on Saturday. The sting is real: Ole Miss spotted the Longhorns a 24-3 lead, clawed all the way back to even in the second half, then watched it get away late. But four of the final five games are at home, and if the Rebels win out, the road to the Playoff is still theirs to walk. Here’s everything you need to start the week. Hotty Toddy.
On the Latest Locked On Ole Miss
On Sunday’s reaction show, Steven slept on the Texas loss and came back to a familiar place: this one hurt, but the Rebels left a touchdown or three on the turf in a game they lost by seven — a wide-open Caleb Odom who never got the ball early, plus a couple of dropped would-be scores. The bigger point was the road ahead. “There’s not an L on Ole Miss’s schedule left,” he said, laying out how a run through Auburn, Georgia and the rest keeps the Rebels in control of their own postseason fate. Watch the full Sunday reaction here.
Comeback bid falls short: Texas 34, Ole Miss 27
Sat., Oct. 24 · last 48 hours.
Ole Miss climbed out of a 24-3 hole to tie it in the fourth quarter but couldn’t finish in Austin. Trinidad Chambliss threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns to Horatio Fields against three interceptions, Kam Franklin returned a fumble for a score and Lucas Carneiro hit three field goals — but Texas pulled away on the ground down the stretch. (Ole Miss Athletics)
Slow start dooms Rebels — and now every game is an elimination game
Sun., Oct. 25 · last 24 hours.
The final margin was seven, but the damage came early, before the offense found its footing. Chambliss went 25-of-52 with little help from a run game Texas bottled up, and the Longhorns leaned on a 207-yard rushing night to escape. The takeaway: with the loss, Ole Miss’s Playoff cushion is gone and every remaining Saturday is now win-or-else. (Yahoo Sports)
Ole Miss tumbles from No. 7 to No. 12 in the polls
Sun., Oct. 25 · last 24 hours.
The loss cost the Rebels five spots in the new AP Top 25, sliding them from seventh to 12th, with the Coaches Poll landing them in the same place. Texas, by contrast, jumped to No. 11. The résumé to climb back is still there, but only one way gets it done: beating the ranked teams still waiting on the schedule. (Sports Illustrated)
Still in the field: Playoff projections keep Ole Miss alive
Mon., Oct. 26 · last 24 hours.
Even after Saturday, ESPN’s latest bracket keeps Ole Miss around the 11 line, squarely in the 12-team race — one projection sends the Rebels to a first-round trip at Indiana. The catch every model agrees on: there’s no margin left. Win out and they’re in; slip again and the whole picture can change in a hurry. (ESPN)
What the Texas night did to Chambliss’s draft stock
Sat., Oct. 24 · last 48 hours.
Three interceptions in Austin won’t quiet the draft chatter that has trailed Chambliss all fall. Evaluators still love the accuracy — one exec said he “throws strike after strike” — but questions about his size and his risk-taking linger, and a rough night across the field from Arch Manning didn’t move the needle his way. (Bleacher Report)
Up next: Auburn visits Oxford on Halloween
Mon., Oct. 19.
The Rebels get back home Saturday to host Auburn, with kickoff set for 11:45 a.m. CT on SEC Network. It’s the first of four home games in the final five — the stretch Ole Miss has to own to keep its Playoff hopes breathing. Vaught-Hemingway has been a hard place to win lately, and the Rebels will be desperate to get right. (Ole Miss Athletics)
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