CBS Sports' Bud Elliott projected a potential first-round matchup in the College Football Playoff that Oklahoma fans should hope and pray for the rest of this week.
With just conference championship games left before the real 12-team playoff field is decided, Elliott on Monday, as he does every week, released his newest projection for how he believes the CFP bracket will look come Sunday. Elliott predicted the Sooners to get the 9-seed and travel to No. 8 Ole Miss for their first-round matchup.
Bud Elliott projects Oklahoma vs Ole Miss in College Football Playoff
Do y’all agree with @BudElliott3’s latest CFP projection heading into Week 15? 👀 pic.twitter.com/aPGl3JJH4X
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) December 1, 2025
There's still a lot of chaos that needs to unfold to get to this point. Elliott clarified that in this scenario five-loss Duke won the ACC Championship Game, which had the Blue Devils miraculously slip in at No. 12. Tulane also won the American to get the Group of Five bid over James Madison.
Alabama also won the SEC title to not only secure a spot, but propel to No. 3 and get a first-round bye. This was probably the biggest influence in the Sooners slipping from No. 8 to 9 and losing hosting rights. No playoff game at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium was definitely the worst part of this projection.
With all those factors, we get a rematch between the Sooners and Rebels, but this time in Oxford. Ole Miss beat the Sooners 34-26 on Oct. 25 in Norman, but a lot has changed since, and those changes only benefit OU in Round 2. Not to mention the added motivation of revenge.
On Sunday, head coach Lane Kiffin officially left Ole Miss for LSU and will not coach the Rebels during the CFP. Kiffin was not only the head coach, but also the offensive mastermind for the No. 3 offense in the country that had gotten the Rebels this far. Kiffin also took almost the entire offensive staff with him to LSU, gutting the Rebels before their biggest game in program history.
The Rebels did more against the Sooners' elite defense than anyone else this season, but those results won't be the same without Kiffin in charge. Kiffin could sometimes outsmart Brent Venables calling the shots for OU's defense, but no one else in Oxford can.
Other than a bye or getting a Group of Five team, there's no better first-round scenario than this one for the Sooners.