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National Championship Possible for Ole Miss After Demolition of Texas A&M

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By @writered21

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Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Coming off one of the biggest football weekends in the history of the state of Mississippi last week, if one of the state’s two major college teams was going to be in trouble this week, it figured to be the Ole Miss Rebels.

After all, Ole Miss had to go on the road to play a decent Texas A&M team that was still smarting from getting beat by Mississippi State last week. The Bulldogs had no easy task themselves, playing second-ranked Auburn, but at least the game would be in Starkville with a raucous home crowd behind Mississippi State.

But if Ole Miss was too high off its win over Alabama a week ago, or if going on the road was a big deal, it certainly didn’t show Saturday night. The Rebels proved not only that they are for real, but they are a legitimate contender for the national championship with a 35-20 beatdown of the Aggies in College Station. Ole Miss built a 35-7 lead early in the fourth quarter and Texas A&M scored two garbage touchdowns late, including one on the final play.

Given the circumstances that the Rebels faced, it’s possible their win today was even more impressive than Mississippi State’s 38-23 triumph over Auburn. Texas A&M has what at times can be an unstoppable offense, and even if the Aggies’ defense isn’t great, the possibility that they could scratch out a 41-38 win over the Rebels certainly was there. Combine that with the Rebels (and Bulldogs) being the talk of the country this week, and the possibility of a road letdown by Ole Miss had to be taken seriously.

Mississippi, however, emphatically answered any remaining questions anyone could have about this 2014 season. So often, we’ve seen the Rebels get off to good starts and come up just short in big games, then fall apart later and end up in a decent bowl, but short of the expectations and potential that fans and media alike have for the program. Ole Miss wasn’t perfect last week against Alabama, but against a big-time opponent, the Rebels made enough plays to win.

There’s no need for such qualifiers tonight. The Rebels went on the road and dominated the Aggies for most of the game, taking a 21-0 lead less than 20 minutes into the contest and scoring a pair of defensive touchdowns. Even those expecting the Rebels to win tonight didn’t expect the high-quality performance Ole Miss turned in. And this was against a Texas A&M team that was ranked 14th in the nation entering the game.

Mississippi’s only remaining road games are at LSU and Arkansas. Auburn, Tennessee, Presbyterian, and Mississippi State still have to come to Oxford. Ole Miss has navigated a treacherous portion of its schedule in fine style, and there’s no reason to doubt them as a team that could easily be standing tall when this college football season ends.

These wins the last two weeks are good preparation for what Ole Miss would need to accomplish in winning the national semifinal and final. And today, Ole Miss proved it belongs in that national title conversation.

Ed Morgans is an ACC Basketball Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @writered21 and add him to your network on Google.

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