“Ole Miss football faces a Big 10 opponent in the latest bowl predictions”

There’s still a lot of college football to play this season, but there are already bowl projects all over the country, and the Ole Miss Rebels are in the mix.

The preseason expectation for the Rebels (5-2, 1-2 SEC) was a spot in the College Football Playoff, but they still have work to do if they want to return to that level. Starting SEC play with a 1-2 record with losses to Kentucky and LSU has currently doomed Ole Miss’ playoff chances, and the Rebels will likely need to win in the regular season to have a chance of getting on the field.

Where is Ole Miss expected to bowl right now? According to the latest projections from CBS Sports, the ReliaQuest Bowl is the landing spot for the Rebels when they take on the Iowa Hawkeyes.

ReliaQuest has been a sponsor of this bowl game since 2022, previously it was called the Outback Bowl. Ole Miss last played in this game during the 2020 season, when it defeated Indiana by a final score of 26-20 during Lane Kiffin’s first season in Oxford. Iowa currently holds a record of 4-3 and 2-2 in the Big Ten.

Needless to say, this bowl game destination would be a disappointment for Rebel fans when viewed through the prism of preseason expectations. Ole Miss has undoubtedly underperformed since conference play began, but there is still time to right things and compete in the CFP, even if the margin for error is almost non-existent.

The Rebels have their first chance at another conference win on Saturday when they host the Oklahoma Sooners at Vaught Hemingway Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.

READ MORE Ole Miss content on SI:

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– Can Ole Miss make the College Football Playoff? Here’s why or why not

– Ole Miss football “Swiss Army Knife” Suntarine Perkins is top 10 in QB pressures

– Lane Kiffin offers encouraging words after Ole Miss’ loss to LSU