Rebels move up in latest AP poll and in bowl projections with third straight 3-0 start

Alright y’all, look, if you get grumpy or superstitious about projections and positivity, these posts just aren’t for you.

Everybody is built different and that’s a good thing. Some fans don’t want to know what postseason destination the Rebels may be headed to in late September, because there’s so much football to be played. These fans don’t want to get their collective hopes up only to have them dashed later in the year or maybe even this Saturday.

Then there’s fans like me - hype me all the way up. The gosh dang Ole Miss Rebels have slowly climbed up to No. 15 in the nation in the latest Associated Press poll, and now it faces the No. 13 Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday.

I want to know the stakes for every game, and this weekend in Tuscaloosa it’s pretty plain to see the national media believes Alabama will win and get back on track for a New Year’s Six or potential playoff berth... and Ole Miss is just a bubble team for the NY6.

But after its third straight 3-0 start, the Rebels have to see the Alabama game as a chance to make a statement this could be a special year in Oxford. Pressure is a privilege and all the cliche quotes, pressure makes diamonds, etc. all the cliche quotes.

Here’s where all the pundits project Ole Miss once bowl season arrives.

Kyle Bonagura, ESPN: Cheez-It Bowl, Ole Miss vs. Iowa

Mark Schlabach, ESPN: Cheez-It Bowl, Ole Miss vs. Iowa

Brad Crawford, 247 Sports: Liberty Bowl, Ole Miss vs. Oklahoma St.

Jerry Palm, CBS Sports: ReliaQuest Bowl, Ole Miss vs. Clemson

Brett McMurphy, Action Network: Duke’s Mayo Bowl, Ole Miss vs. Duke