Can Ole Miss Compete For (And Win) National Championship in 2024 Season?

Could the Ole Miss Rebels go a step beyond just qualifying for the College Football Playoff this season?

Nov 23, 2023; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive back Zamari Walton (6) and head coach Lane Kiffin (right) react after a missed field goal by the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the second half at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Is the 2024 season simply "playoff-or-bust" for coach Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels, or could they shoot even higher in their campaign's aspirations?

Recently, J.D. PicKell hosted another edition of his podcast "The Hard Count," and he was joined by a fellow host in Michael Bratton of "That SEC Podcast." The duo went through four SEC programs and "bought" or "sold" stock in them for the 2024 campaign: LSU, Florida, Auburn and Ole Miss.

It's no secret that the Rebels have high expectations for this fall, but Bratton seems to think the program could aim higher than just a College Football Playoff berth. He thinks Ole Miss can win the whole thing.

“I think Ole Miss can win the national championship," Bratton said. "I legitimately do. Now, I’m not sitting here saying they’re the favorites to do it, but outside of Georgia and maybe Ohio State, I would probably put Ole Miss right there at No. 3 with anybody in the country.

“I love the philosophy. Again, this is why I kind of bash Hugh Freeze for his model. I love what Lane Kiffin’s doing, and it’s not just adding via the portal, but getting guys to buy-in. They’re all bought-in there. ‘Last Dance,’ we’re all coming back."

PicKell stood by his "playoff-or-bust" mindset for the Rebels, and he believes they may even need to win a game in the playoff to satisfy the fan base. But what led Ole Miss to this level of expectation for the upcoming season? Sure, an 11-2 finish a year ago helped, but the Rebels return a ton of talent from that team and once again attacked the transfer portal in an aggressive way.

"They're adding strength-on-strength," Bratton said, "and I love that philosophy because if someone's afraid of it, there's the door. Lane Kiffin will just replace you with another transfer. Is that sustainable? I don't know, but this is the method.

"They don't recruit as well as Georgia; they don't recruit as well as Alabama. But where they can make up is this insane system we have right now and exploit it for all you can."

Is the way Ole Miss fills its roster sustainable in the years ahead? That remains to be seen, but as long as this transfer portal system is in place, Lane Kiffin has shown a tremendous aptitude for treading those waters and landing some of the top talent available at key positions.

That in itself is a large reason why people have taken notice of the Rebels' roster this season. They return a ton of talent like quarterback Jaxson Dart and wide receiver Tre Harris, but they've also solved some deficiencies along the way, especially on defense.

The better question is whether or not Ole Miss can legitimately compete for a national championship. That may seem far-fetched, but simply getting into the playoff is a large part of the battle. If the Rebels can do that (and many believe they can), there aren't many steps between that and winning it all in January.