OXFORD – Fresh off a bye week, the Ole Miss Rebels are maintaining their focus.

Such was the prevailing message at Lane Kiffin’s weekly press conference on Monday. The Rebels head into their next game with a 4-0 record and as the No. 4 team in the most recent AP poll, but Kiffin doesn’t want any of that at the front of his players’ minds.

“We really challenge our guys not to listen to the noise out there about where they are in rankings or any of that stuff,” Kiffin said. “Because none of that means anything until the final month.”

The Rebels’ next opponent will be Washington State on Saturday at 11:45 a.m. at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. In the two weeks to follow, Ole Miss travels to No. 10 Georgia and No. 6 Oklahoma, in that order.

Despite the magnitude of those later two matchups, they have “nothing to do” with what’s right in front of the Rebels. Kiffin feels that the urgency the SEC brings does not allow you to look ahead, even against non-conference opponents.

“Every week is a battle,” Kiffin said. “I think it’s just different than every other conference. It’s just like the NFL. You’ve got to play really well every week.”

The bye week has also given quarterback Austin Simmons time to let his ankle heal. Kiffin left the door open for him to start against the Cougars so long as he gets back to 100%, although Trinidad Chambliss has excelled since getting the job.

In the meantime, Kiffin cherished where the team’s QB situation is at right now.

“We’re in a great place,” he said. “We have two great quarterbacks. I think we have two quarterbacks that are better than a lot of people’s number one, and so it’s awesome to be in this position.”

Kiffin also wants the fans to show up for Washington State the same way they did for LSU.

“I understand a lot of it’s because they hate LSU, but why not show up like that every week?” he said. “It would be awesome for our fans to do that and show the same way – students, everybody – because it’s the biggest game of the year. Because it’s the only game this week that we have.

“So let’s coach, play and cheer the same way.”

Georgia game time announced

Ole Miss’ game against Georgia next Saturday will kick off at 2:30 p.m. on ABC. It’s the fourth time this season the Rebels are playing at 2:30 and the third time they’re playing on ABC.