Tuesday Question: One of discipline

Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports made waves last week by asserting that a suspension is "definitely in play" for Hugh Freeze. I can't speak to Dodd's sources, but a simple perusing of the NCAA's written policy makes it clear that there is indeed a very real chance that Freeze could end up missing games for the violations that occurred under his watch.

(The gist is that a 2013 revision to NCAA disciplinary procedures holds a head coach responsible for violations within his program, regardless of whether he knew about them or not. I'll be publishing a much more in-depth explanation of the policy on Wednesday morning).

That's not, however, necessarily a bad thing for Ole Miss. Let's create a hypothetical situation in which Ross Bjork brokers a backroom deal that works for both sides: Freeze serves a multi-game suspension to appease the NCAA, while Ole Miss avoids a postseason ban.

That brings us to today's question:

How many 2016 games could Hugh Freeze miss before the negative impact of his absence outweighs the negative impact of a postseason ban?

In our scenario, lets say the suspension will start during the opener against Florida State and, per NCAA policy, last no longer than one season. Freeze has to stay away from the team and can't help gameplan during the week. Keep in mind that three of the Rebs' first four opponents are FSU, Bama and Georgia.