OXFORD — If Ole Miss can win its last two regular season games, a trip to sunny Orlando and the prestigious Capital One Bowl will be the Rebels’ postseason destination.

Last week’s 42-17 demolition of Tennessee has Ole Miss (7-3, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) within two wins of locking up the conference’s top bowl spot after the Bowl Championship Series. Top-ranked Florida (10-0, 8-0) and second-ranked Alabama (10-0, 7-0) have already locked up spots in the BCS.

On Saturday, Ole Miss clashes with the team currently in the Capital One Bowl driver’s seat, the ninth-ranked LSU Tigers (8-2, 6-2). The teams meet in Oxford at 2:30 in a game that will be televised nationally by CBS.

A win by LSU would lock up third place in the SEC and earn the Tigers an Orlando trip. Ole Miss would then need to beat Mississippi State on Nov. 28 in Starkville to earn a repeat trip to the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas or an Outback Bowl trip in Tampa.

For Ole Miss defensive tackle Jerrell Powe, a second straight bowl bid is something to be proud of.

“This makes two for me, so I’m excited,” Powe said.

It was the play of the defensive line, led by Powe, that helped turn the tide in the third quarter for the Rebels. Tennessee had just intercepted a Jevan Snead pass and took over at the Ole Miss 39, down just 21-17. Three plays later, the Vols faced a third down-and-2. Powe stuffed the run with a 2-yard tackle for loss and the Vols had to punt.

On the next series, Brandon Bolden capped a 62-yard drive with a 1-yard TD run to put the Rebels up 28-17.

“The turning point of the game was when they stopped us for a loss on a third-and-short,” Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin said.

“I just looked at the challenge that was there,” Powe said. “We don’t back down. I just ripped upfield and made a good play on the ball.”

Tennessee was held to just 99 yards on the ground. Ole Miss had 359 as Dexter McCluster entered the Ole Miss record books with a single game shattering performance of 282 yards and four touchdowns. McCluster was named the SEC’s Player of the Week on Monday.

“This was the best we’ve played since Texas Tech,” Powe said in reference to the Rebels’ 47-34 Cotton Bowl win last January in Dallas. Now their sights are on an even bigger prize.

“Going back to a bowl was one of the goals to start the season. We’re just trying to see which bowl we can get to now,” said Snead, who played more within himself against the Vols. The third quarter pick was Snead’s only mistake. He finished 13-of-20 for 133 yards. His 11-yard toss to Shay Hodge kept alive a late fourth quarter drive that sealed the game after Bolden’s second scoring run.

“This win is a big lift for us,” said Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt. “Practice will be much more enjoyable this week. It solves a lot of problems. Now we know we can play our way into one of the really good bowls.”

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Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com