The Rebels climbed two spots to No. 8 in both the AP and Coaches Poll without even playing a game over the weekend.
With the No. 8 ranking, the Rebels are the highest ranked two-loss team in the country.
There were many games in the Southeastern Conference and throughout the rest of college football that had an impact on the College Football Playoff race.
However, the big news of the weekend came yesterday when Florida announced that head coach Will Muschamp will be relieved of his duties at the end of the season. Muschamp will be coaching the final two games of the season for Florida, however.
In his tenure at Florida, Muschamp went 27-20 overall in four seasons in Gainesville, with a 17-15 record in SEC play.
After the final two games, many schools should be calling Muschamp with offers to be a defensive coordinator.
The big game of the weekend happened in Tuscaloosa, however, where No. 5 ranked Alabama hosted undefeated and No. 1 ranked Mississippi State in a showdown with major implications in the SEC and the College Football Playoff race.
The Crimson Tide held a 19-3 lead at halftime, but the lead started to slip away in the second half, where Mississippi State cut the Alabama lead to 19-13 to start the fourth quarter. Alabama would answer back with a six minute touchdown drive to increase the lead. The Bulldogs would add a late touchdown, but Alabama held off the Bulldogs to win at home 25-20.
The loss may knock Mississippi State out of the top four in the Playoff rankings, and Alabama is almost certain to move into the top four.
The other big game in the SEC happened in Athens, where No. 15 ranked Georgia hosted No. 9 ranked Auburn in a matchup with implications for both teams.
The game wasn’t even a competition. Georgia ran close to 300 yards, led by the return of junior running back Todd Gurley. Gurley returned from suspension and ran for 138 yards on 29 carries and one touchdown but suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in the fourth quarter and is out for the season. The Bulldogs defeated Auburn 34-7, which most likely ends Auburn’s chances in the SEC and the Playoff.
Arkansas also picked up their first SEC win since October of 2012 and the first of Bret Bielema’s coaching career at Arkansas with a win over No. 17 LSU. The Razorback defense played their most complete game of the season, holding LSU’s offense to only 123 total yards in way to a 17-0 victory at home.
The shocking upset in the SEC, though, came in College Station, where 24th ranked Texas A&M lost to Missouri at home 34-27. Missouri scored 28 points in the third quarter and were led by junior running back Russell Hansbrough, who ran for 199 yards and two touchdowns.
The biggest performance of the weekend came from Wisconsin’s junior running back Melvin Gordon. The Heisman candidate boosted his resume in a big way, setting the FBS record for rushing yards in a game with 408 yards on 25 carries in way to a 59-24 victory over No. 16 Nebraska.
No. 3 Florida State survived another scare on its schedule, this time on the road at hated rival Miami. The defending national champions trailed 23-10 at halftime but scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to stay undefeated 30-26.
Some top 25 teams to lose included Arizona State, Notre Dame, Clemson, Duke and Minnesota.
The results over the weekend help the Rebels’ chances in the Southeastern Conference and the Playoff race. The Rebels need to win out at Arkansas and home against Mississippi State and need Auburn to defeat Alabama in the Iron Bowl to advance to the SEC Championship game.
