Kewan Lacy coming back for Ole Miss this week is huge news for the Rebels’ College Football Playoff chances. Ole Miss’ running back is set to return against Vanderbilt after the bye week, and that changes the outlook for quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, for this offense, and for the Rebels’ entire playoff picture.

Start with the short term. Ole Miss should beat Vanderbilt by a comfortable margin, and getting Lacy back takes so much pressure off Chambliss. The weather isn’t expected to be good in Nashville, Tennessee, either. When you have a good rushing attack built around your best player on the offensive side of the ball, or at least a guy right there in that conversation, you are in a really good position to win a game played in bad conditions.

That’s the easy upside of getting Lacy back. The bigger picture is where this gets fun.

The LSU and Florida games told the whole story about this Ole Miss offense

Look back at the LSU and Florida games and the difference in how Ole Miss played. Now, part of the Florida game comes down to the fact that Ole Miss was in a letdown spot. Everyone knew that going in, and it’s the reason I ended up picking Florida to win that football game.

But get a little more granular and go back to the second half against LSU. Without Lacy, you saw that Chambliss can make some incredible plays. He’s a really good quarterback. Still, that is not something you want to rely on every single week.

And you may say, Tegan, if your quarterback can make those plays, why does it matter who’s lining up behind him? Because you need the counterpunch. You need a complementary piece, especially with that great of a quarterback. You want to take some of the pressure off of him so he isn’t playing Superman on every down. Nobody can do that for a whole season. Not even Chambliss.

Everybody on this offense benefits having Lacy back

With the way Lacy runs the football and impacts this Ole Miss offense, he is one more thing a defense has to account for. And with how this scheme is built, especially with how wide the Rebels choose to play their receivers, the benefits stack up quickly.

Deuce Alexander is going to benefit. Chambliss is going to benefit. I think the offensive line is going to benefit, too. Everyone on this Ole Miss team gets better with a healthy running back who can tote the rock 30-plus times in any given game.

That’s the piece Ole Miss has been missing with Lacy sidelined. Spread the field, make defenses respect the run, and suddenly every throw Chambliss makes gets a little easier. It’s simple football, and it works.

The schedule still has teeth, but the ceiling just went up for the Rebels

Now, to be clear, Ole Miss isn’t out of the woods. Big games are still left on the schedule, including Texas and plenty of others. I’m not saying the Rebels are going to cruise the rest of the way, and I’m not stamping them as a lock.

But I truly believe that if you get a fully healthy Lacy for the rest of the season, Ole Miss’ playoff chances are so much higher than a lot of people want to admit, especially after that Florida game. One loss in a letdown spot doesn’t erase what this roster is capable of when it’s whole. The Rebels still have a fantastic chance in front of them.

And I’ll go even further than that. With Lacy back to carry the load and Chambliss no longer forced to do everything by himself, Chambliss still has a fantastic chance to win the Heisman.