Ole Miss Climbs to No. 4 in 2026 CFP Projections After LSU Win — SkimNews
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- Ole Miss climbed to No. 4 in CBS Sports' CFP projections (from No. 6) after a 32-24 win over Lane Kiffin's LSU Tigers, giving the Rebels two top-25 wins including their season-opening victory over Louisville
- Pete Golding is 5-1 as Ole Miss head coach with four wins over top-25 opponents since replacing Kiffin, and the program signed the No. 2-rated transfer portal class last cycle while holding the No. 14 high school class for 2027
- Texas moved to No. 1 at 3-0 on the strength of its win over Ohio State, though concerns remain around Arch Manning and a tepid performance against UTSA heading into a road trip at Tennessee
- Ohio State held its No. 2 slot despite the loss to Texas, with the projection keeping the Buckeyes as the Big Ten champion pick given their talent base and a 'should have won' framing from CBS Sports
- BYU and Alabama both entered the top 10 at 3-0, with BYU at No. 10 after a win over Arizona and Alabama at No. 9 despite slow starts in its last two games
- Boise State grabbed the No. 12 seed and the Group of 6 automatic bid behind a close loss to Oregon and a win over Memphis, setting up a first-round matchup at No. 5 Georgia
- Ole Miss faces a 3.5-point underdog road test at Florida this weekend, the start of a brutal schedule stretch that will test whether the Golding era momentum is sustainable
Why it matters: With the first round set for Dec. 18-19, Ole Miss's leap from No. 6 to No. 4 reflects the strength of its two top-25 wins, but a road trip to Florida as a 3.5-point dog exposes how thin the margin is between a deep playoff run and an early exit. The projection also reshuffles the top of the bracket — Texas leapfrogs Ohio State after Week 3, while Indiana, Miami, and Notre Dame remain in title-or-bust mode with limited quality wins on their resumes.
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