Ole Miss Rebels:
Ole Miss is coming off an 11-2 season (the first 11-win season in Rebels history) in which the team finished the year with a 38-25 win over Penn State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Lane Kiffin has been a revelation since taking this job, and things could turn up in 2024. Ole Miss has 20 players with starting experience back, including a majority of an offense that averaged 35.1 points per game. Jaxson Dart is the leader of the pack. He’s a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate. Ole Miss should also continue to get better defensively, where defensive coordinator Pete Golding is working with an experienced group.
The Rebels do have a few tough spots on their schedule, including a road game against LSU and home games against Oklahoma and Georgia. But overall, they have one of the easier schedules among the elite teams in this conference. Anything but a trip to the College Football Playoff would be a disappointment.
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Offense
Last year, Ole Miss was 16th in the nation in scoring offense. The Rebels were pretty balanced in their approach, as they were 40th in rushing yards per game (176.0) and 19th in passing yards per game (286.0). Well, don’t expect things to get any worse in 2024. Ole Miss is only losing three starters from last year, with two coming on the offensive line. But Washington transfer Nate Kalepo will play a big role in making sure the blocking doesn’t drop off from 2023. He was a big-time addition for Kiffin.
Dart is back under center after a year in which he threw for 3,364 yards with 23 touchdowns and only five picks, and he also rushed for 391 yards and eight scores. Dart will also have his top pass-catching targets back, headlined by Tre Harris. And if this wasn’t already an embarrassment of riches, the Rebels also added South Carolina transfer Antwane “Juice” Wells Jr.
This just might be the best offense in all of college football. Putting 38 on Penn State’s elite defense in last year’s bowl game was the ultimate statement.
Defense
Last year’s Rebels team was mediocre defensively, but Kiffin addressed it in the transfer portal. The additions of Walter Nolen, Princely Umanmielen, Chris Paul Jr. and Trey Amos are going to be huge for Ole Miss. That’s four high-level starters who will immediately make plays for Golding’s defense. The Rebels also brought back some of their best players from a year ago.
If Ole Miss can just be an average unit on this side of the ball, the ceiling is the roof for the Rebels. And I don’t think there’s any reason to doubt what Golding can do with legitimate talent in place. He spent four years at Alabama and is creative in finding ways to throw off opposing offenses.
Outlook
Winning at LSU is going to be tough. And beating Georgia at home might be tougher. But the Rebels really should win every other game on their schedule, which is why I like them to finish the regular season with at least 10 victories. I don’t think there are many teams in college football that have this type of top-to-bottom talent, and Ole Miss also has good coaching and experienced leaders on both sides of the ball.
Pick: Over 9.5 Wins
