The Alabama Crimson Tide bounced back from a tough loss to Oklahoma last week with a 56-0 win over Eastern Illinois on Saturday, and now, Alabama will face Auburn to end its regular season with a shot to go 10-2.

The Crimson Tide are currently ranked 10th in the College Football Playoff rankings, and barring a disaster against Auburn net week, they will make the tournament.

But who will Alabama face in the first round?

Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach of ESPN have posted some projections for the CFP, and Schlabach has Kalen DeBoer's group facing Ole Miss in the opening round.

The two SEC foes have not played each other during the regular season, and they actually have not done battle since 2023, representing their longest stretch without a matchup since 1992.

So who better for the Crimson Tide to face than the Rebels?

Ole Miss is currently seventh in the CFP rankings and is sixth in the nation in the AP top-25 rankings. The Rebels are 10-1, with their lone loss coming at the hands of Georgia on Oct. 18.

Alabama probably has the more impressive resume overall, with five wins over ranked opponents. Meanwhile, Ole Miss has only defeated two ranked opponents on the year, and one of those teams (LSU) is not even ranked any longer.

Regardless, the Rebels are tough customers, featuring a very explosive offense thanks much in part to head coach Lane Kiffin, who may very well be departing Oxford for a more high-profile job — like LSU or Florida — during the offseason.

But Alabama has proven it can beat anyone this year, and that comes after the Crimson Tide were hammered by Florida State in their season opener.

Of course, we may be getting a bit ahead of ourselves here, as you already know that no one would love to spoil Alabama's season more than Auburn.

The Tigers are just 5-6 on the year and are a long way from their glory days, but the game will be at Auburn, so anything can happen. A loss could very well end Bama's CFP hopes.

But if the Crimson Tide to get in and ultimately face the Rebels? Then they will aim to continue their dominance, as Alabama owns a 55-11-2 all-time record versus Ole Miss.

The Crimson Tide have not lost to the Rebels since 2015.