Countdown to Kickoff Day 29: #22 Ole Miss Rebels

Ole Miss’ ranking is almost the exact age of Lane Kiffin’s new girlfriend. We won’t get too much into it but Lane Kiffin has more game than most of his players judging by his instagram post on National Girlfriend Day.

The Rebels had CFB Playoff hopes last year when they started 7-0 and made it to #7 in the AP poll going into a game against LSU. They got stomped on by the Tigers that game, and then stumbled into the finish line going 1-4 in their last five and then losing their bowl game to Texas Tech. The ball just stopped bouncing their way in the final stretch of the season. Nothing really changed (except for the skill of their opponents) but their luck just seemed to run out.

So the question for Ole Miss this year is, which team are they? Are they the team that ran over their opponents on their way to going 7-0, or are they the team that rolls over against the big boys like LSU and Alabama? They will be put to the test again this year as they see the Tigers, Tide, and add the Georgia Bulldogs to their conference schedule this year. The Rebs will be a solid team and Kiffin will have them ready to play from day one, but are they ready to rise to the top of the SEC? Ehhhhh.

You can count on Ole Miss having a great offense as long as Lane Kiffin is in town, and that will continue this year. There is some QB competition between Jaxson Dart, Spencer Sanders, and Walker Howard but the Rebels won’t be able to go wrong even if they tried to. All three options are solid and they have the wide receiver core and backfield to back it up and provide weapons all over the field. Charlie Weis’ unit will keep this team in every game they have on the schedule, the question is, can the defense step up and help out?

Lane Kiffin brings in Pete Golding from Alabama this season to run a defense that let up more than 35 points in conference play last year. The transfer portal was kind to them as they brought in Davison Igbinosun, Monty Montgomery and Tysheem Johnson in at defensive back. They will also return a chunk of their line, Ishmeen Young and Trey Washington at safety, and Deantre Prince at corner. They will definitely improve with the skill coming in and the experience they have, the hope is that Golding can take this squad from average to stellar this year and the years to come.

Prediction: With Alabama, Georgia, and LSU on the schedule, it will be tough for Ole Miss to get to the top of the conference, but I like them to compete for that spot in the SEC West. 8-4

How Many Games Will Ole Miss Win In 2023

• 9 or more
• 8 or less