December 03, 2008 02:50 am
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By CHRIS TALBOTT
Associated Press Writer
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Houston Nutt was right — it was a November to remember for Mississippi.
The No. 22 Rebels put themselves in prime position for a January bowl with four straight wins down the stretch.
“You always want to finish the way we finished,” Nutt said. “There’s nothing like winning in the end because your stock rises.”
The question now is where will Ole Miss land? There are still several scenarios to be decided on the field, but the group can be safely whittled down to two: the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Fla., and the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
To Nutt, there are no disappointments in that group.
“There’s no way you can’t have a good time in Orlando because of Disney World, MGM, Universal Studios, the weather. It’s just awesome,” Nutt said. “Those people do an excellent job.
“I’ve been to the Cotton Bowl three times. The work that (chairman) Rick Baker and their staff do is unbelievable. They are so thorough, so detailed, so committed to the players, to their families, from the luncheon to the banquet to all the activities, it’s just a very good place.”
Conventional wisdom says top-ranked Alabama and No. 2 Florida will go to BCS bowls with the loser of the Southeastern Conference championship game going to the Sugar.
That would leave Georgia (9-3) and Ole Miss (8-4) next in the pecking order. The Capital One Bowl has first shot after the BCS selections and must take the team with the next best record overall or a team within one win. So Ole Miss is in the picture there.
If the Capital One goes to Georgia, the Cotton Bowl and Outback bowls pick next but are limited in their choices. The Cotton Bowl must take an SEC West team and the Outback must take a team from the East. The Outback could take a team from the West once the Cotton chooses, but there’s no way the Rebels make it past the Jan. 2 bowl.
Baker did not return phone messages left by The Associated Press, but told several reporters this week that its choice will be Ole Miss.
The Rebels win in either scenario, however.
The chance to travel to a bowl after four straight losing seasons has energized a program that was winless in the SEC last year and thoroughly demoralized when Nutt took over from fired coach Ed Orgeron. Most don’t know what to expect, but they know it will be something good.
“I’ve never experienced a bowl game,” senior defensive lineman Peria Jerry said. “I can’t explain it. I’m just waiting to see what happens.”
The bowl appearance also brings boosters and fans who may have let Ole Miss drop on their priorities list back into the fold. What is more important, though, both the Capital One and Cotton bowls are in prime recruiting country. Florida and Texas have an overflow of talent each year and the Rebels will have a chance to make their case to a number of prospects.
Nutt and his staff got off to a slow start in recruiting, barely registering among the top 250 recruits of several scouting services. But the coaches got calls from prospects after the 45-0 Egg Bowl win who are considering changing their commitments and are taking a hard look at the Rebels.
“It’s so much different because of the success and winning,” Nutt said. “Everybody loves a winner. It’s easier to sell now. It is harder to get people to jump into your wagon when you haven’t been winning the last three or four years and haven’t been to a bowl game. That’s tough to sell.”
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