Coming into the 2009 football season, Ole Miss Rebels fans had high hopes for their team.  Some will say the Rebels fans were to the point of being almost delusional.  Now the team is heading into week 12 of the schedule and are not fighting for the SEC West lead, but for bowl eligibility.  Ole Miss is currently 6-3 overall, doesn't that make the Rebels bowl eligible?  No, it doesn't.

As SEC fans have learned this season, there are tons of rules that many fans have not heard of.  When it comes to bowl eligibility, there is also a rule:

The NCAA allows one victory per season over a Division I FCS (formerly I-AA) team to count toward an FBS team's bowl eligibility, so long as the FCS team has supplied financial aid for football averaging out to at least 56.7 full scholarships (90% of the limit of 63 allowed to FCS schools) over the preceding two years.

Two of Ole Miss' wins on the '09 season have come against SE Louisiana (from the Southland Conference) and Northern Arizona (from the Big Sky Conference) ... both teams are FCS opponents.  This presents a quandry.  By only being able to count one of the two wins against their bowl eligibility, Ole Miss' current 'real' record is 5-3 or one win shy of the minimum wins to become eligible.

Ole Miss Can Get One More Win, Right?

The Rebels play host to the Tennessee Vols this coming weekend.  While Ole Miss is a 5 point favorite to win this game at home, the Vols will give the Rebels a fight from gun-to-gun.  This is not a 'lock' win.  Ole Miss has struggled in the games in which they have faced top rated defenses ... UT has a top rated defense.

After facing Tennessee, the Rebels play host to LSU.  LSU has a solid team and will likely be favored to win the game (and likely will).

If Ole Miss has not captured a sixth win before the season finale against Mississippi State, a win over MSU might not matter.  For example, two years ago, the South Carolina Gamecocks shot out to a 6-1 start and folded down the stretch.  The Gamecocks were shut out of the post season.  Could the same thing happen to Ole Miss?  While not completely likely, yes it could happen.

Depending on the bowl game, Ole Miss could very well be shut out of post season play.  Having six wins does not guarantee a bowl trip.  In order for Ole Miss to secure their season ending game, the Rebels must beat the UT Vols this weekend.  If the Rebels have to take it down to the wire to become eligible, they could be skipped over.

Big shout out to AA of the Tony Basilio Show for the background information to make this article possible.  If you want to hear honest, hard hitting commentary then listen to the show 11am - 2pm EST on the internet.

Comments (1)

ha ha
written by JeffMM, November 16, 2009

Looks like Ole Miss got its quality win

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