Auburn vs. Ole Miss: How Tigers' Win Reshapes Playoff Picture

In the space of two weeks, the Ole Miss Rebels went from being one of the best teams in the country to finding themselves on the periphery of the College Football Playoff. A 35-31 loss to the Auburn Tigers all but sealed their postseason fate.

Head coach Gus Malzahn said after the game that so many nail-biting finishes has instilled in his players a kind of confidence that they'll win no matter the circumstances, which will undoubtedly serve them well down the stretch, per ESPN.com's Travis Haney:

The Rebels nearly pulled off a miracle with 90 seconds remaining, but Laquon Treadwell fumbled at the goal line on what would've been the go-ahead touchdown, and Auburn recovered. Ole Miss's chance for a potential national championship was decided by mere inches.

Ethan Levine of Saturday Down South couldn't believe how quickly the team's fortunes changed:

ESPN's Paul Finebaum also felt for the Rebels but gave Auburn full credit for its victory:

Looking back at Saturday's results and forecasting how the next few weeks will unfold, these teams look like the best bet to make the four-team playoff.

Pos.	Team	Record
1	Mississippi State Bulldogs	8-0 (5-0 SEC)
2	Florida State Seminoles	8-0 (5-0 ACC)
3	Auburn Tigers	7-1 (4-1 SEC)
4	TCU Horned Frogs	7-1 (4-1 Big 12)

It's very likely that a one-loss SEC West team will get into the playoff. With the dearth of exceptional teams across the college landscape, the door is open for one conference to send two representatives.

However, two losses would all but eliminate a team from the playoff discussion. Losing once and failing to win your conference but still getting in is already a bit of a stretch. The selection committee couldn't possibly consider a two-loss team without asking for massive ridicule.

Last week's defeat to LSU was far from the final nail in the Rebels' coffin. Ole Miss still had a chance to crack the top four as long as it won out for the rest of the season, which is of course much easier said than done. Beating Auburn would've been a great way to impress the selection committee all over again.

Instead, the Tigers reigned supreme and picked up a massive road win to supplant Ole Miss as the favorite to grab that second SEC bid. Some might put Alabama as the SEC West 1a team, but the Crimson Tide fell to Ole Miss in Oxford, so Auburn should get the slight edge.

The Tigers are basically in a "win and you're in" situation. Junior linebacker Kris Frost made sure his teammates know how much is on the line in these final few games, per Auburn Gold Mine:

Taking a look at Auburn's schedule for the rest of the regular season, there's a good chance—at least as good of a chance as anybody could have under the circumstances—that the Tigers win out.

Texas A&M's stock has dropped precipitously over the last few weeks, and the Aggies will be without the suspended Kenny Hill, per ESPN.com's Sam Khan Jr. The No. 11 Georgia Bulldogs also don't look nearly as daunting after their 38-20 loss to Florida.

As long as Auburn gets past those two games, the Tigers will head into the Iron Bowl still in pole position for the playoff.