Ole Miss Football: Where Will the Rebels Go Bowling This Year?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Jan 1, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly celebrates as confetti falls following a win against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the 2016 Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The Ole Miss football team went to the Sugar Bowl last year, can they make their way back this season?

The Ole Miss football team is most likely going to win six games this season, which would put them in bowl eligibility.

This year was a make or break season for the Rebels, and so far they have broken. Ole Miss is not going to make the playoffs this season, but they can easily make it to a third straight access bowl.

Now, which bowl would that be? Who would they play? Well, that is what we are discussing in this post.

Many sites have put out some bowl predictions, but I will try to pull from some of the best and give you an outlook for the season.

Now a lot of this rides on how the Rebels finish the season. Do they go undefeated to end the season? Well, then they probably go to another big-time, access bowl. But if they go 7-5 then they will be back in Shreveport.

So let’s take a look which bowl the Rebels would be in depending on their record.

Jan 1, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly and wide receiver Laquon Treadwell celebrate by holding up the Sugar Bowl trophy following a win against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the 2016 Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 10-2 | Sugar Bowl | New Orleans, LA

So Ole Miss runs the table and does not lose again this season. In the process, they defeat ranked teams such as Arkansas, LSU, Auburn, and Texas A&M. Ole Miss could possibly make the playoffs at 10-2, but would need some help.

Ole Miss needs to really root for Alabama to lose two SEC games this season, and for Ole Miss to go undefeated from here on.

What are the odds of that happening? Not high.

If Ole Miss would have defeated Florida State or Alabama, they would most likely be a top-10 team and in the playoff discussion.

So who would Ole Miss face off against in the Sugar Bowl?

Well, you are not going to like this.

Ole Miss Rebels

Ole Miss vs Louisville. This is a nightmare matchup for the Rebels. Lamar Jackson would run all over the Rebel defense. Remember Francois and Hurts? Well, Jackson is even better.

Jan 1, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Michigan Wolverines tight end A.J. Williams (84) holds the champions trophy after the Michigan Wolverines defeated the Florida Gators 41-7 in the 2016 Citrus Bowl at Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 9-3 | Citrus Bowl | Orlando, FL

Ole Miss has already played a game in the Citrus Bowl this season, losing to Florida State in September.

If the Rebels one more loss comes from a team like LSU, then the Citrus Bowl is where they will most likely head off to.

The Rebels will need to take care of business the rest of the year, but the Citrus Bowl is a good bowl game for the team to play in.

So who would Ole Miss play?

Ole Miss Rebels

The team of the ’90s, the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Huskers are currently 5-0 in the Big Ten and leading the way in the West division. We could call it the StringfellBowl, since Damore’a was committed to Nebraska before flipping to Ole Miss.

The ‘Huskers still have to face Wisconsin and Ohio State this season, as well as the winner of the East division if they make it to the Big Ten championship.

The Rebels would have to put a stop to senior quarterback Tommy Armstrong to have a chance at winning this bowl game.

Jan 1, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Barry Alvarez is introduced at the press conference after winning the game in the 2015 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Wisconsin Badgers defeated the Auburn Tigers 34-31 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 8-4 | Outback Bowl | Tampa Bay, FL

So Ole Miss lost to LSU and Texas A&M to close out the season and they finish 8-4, this is where the Rebels are most likely to land. The Rebels would play the Big Ten’s 2-4 team.

Ole Miss has never played in the Outback Bowl, and it would be an interesting bowl matchup for the Rebel fanbase. This hypothetical matchup might be the best one for the Ole Miss team this year.

Ole Miss Rebels

The Rebels playing the Hawkeyes in Tampa Bay makes just too much sense to me. Both of these teams have had solid seasons as of late too.

Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes run a very conservative, pro-style offense that the Rebels have proven they can beat. Ole Miss runs a spread-style offense that gives most teams fits on defense.

The Rebels have never faced Iowa in their history, so this matchup could be a very interesting one late in the year.

Dec 30, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt holds up the trophy after after defeating the Louisville Cardinals. Georgia defeated Louisville 37-14 in the Belk Bowl held at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 7-5 | Belk Bowl | Charlotte, NC

The Rebels lose to Arkansas, LSU, and Texas A&M to finish out the season a disappointing 7-5 and to earn a birth in the Belk Bowl.

While the Belk Bowl on Twitter is one of the coolest accounts, the game itself is not where an elite SEC program wants to be at.

The Rebels would play the ACC’s 3-6 team in this game, so who would that be?

Ole MissRebels

The Rebels face off against Justin Fuente’s new team, the Virginia Tech Hokies in this bowl prediction world.

Virginia Tech is currently 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the ACC, but they have yet to play the Miami Hurricanes. The Hokies defeated North Carolina 34-3 on Saturday, a very impressive victory.

Ole Miss and Virginia Tech have met twice before, once in 1913 where VT won 34-14 and in 1968 when Ole Miss won 34-17.

Seeing how the Rebels would contain the Hokie team would be worth the ticket itself, especially considering the the history between Fuente and the Rebels.

Record: 6-6 | Liberty Bowl | Memphis, TN

The Rebels lose to Arkansas, LSU, Texas A&M, and *gasp* Mississippi State to end the season, all hell has broke loose in Oxford and Hugh Freeze is on the hot seat. Matt Luke and the offensive line disappointed us all and we suck.

Batoon is gone, the rest of the staff is on the hot seat as well. But, out of the darkness, the Rebels make a bowl game. The Liberty Bowl, a bowl that Rebel fans are all too familiar with.

I remember the days of Coach O when I prayed for a Liberty Bowl birth, now it is cause for distress. The Liberty Bowl isn’t that bad, it is just played in one of the worst stadiums in the country, in one of the most dangerous cities in the South, and it is usually between two bad teams.

If the Rebels did make the Liberty Bowl, they would be matched up with the Big-12’s fifth team this season. So who would that be? Well you may not want know.

Ole Miss Rebels

The Rebels would face off with the TCU Horned Frogs again. The last time these two teams faced off was the 2014 Peach Bowl, where TCU demolished the Rebels.

So would the same outcome repeat itself? Well, Boykin is not there anymore and Gary Patterson has yet to find the magic to make his team a contender this season.