ESPN College Gameday Analyst Believes Ole Miss is 'Most Dangerous Team' in SEC

Desmond Howard of ESPN's College Gameday is buying the stock in the Ole Miss Rebels this week.

Jan 1, 2024; Pasadena, CA, USA; Desmond Howard on the ESPN College Gameday set at the 2024 Rose Bowl college football playoff semifinal game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels are on a bye this week, but the college football world is still talking about their upset win over the Georgia Bulldogs last weekend that rocked the city of Oxford, Mississippi.

The Rebels (8-2, 4-2 SEC) stumbled with two losses earlier this year in conference play, but a win over the Bulldogs returned Ole Miss to the College Football Playoff conversation, so much so that if the season ended today, the Rebels would be in the field.

There are still two games left on Ole Miss' regular season schedule (at Florida, vs. Mississippi State), but some national analysts are really buying the Rebel hype here in mid-November, namely College Gameday's Desmond Howard.

Howard went on the record on Saturday about why he is enamored with the current state of head coach Lane Kiffin's team.

"I think the most dangerous team in the SEC right now is Ole Miss," Howard said. "I think Ole Miss is the most dangerous reason for one reason: when you slay the dragon, it does a lot for the the confidence of your team.

"Now, they no longer think they can beat Georgia or one of the big dogs; they no longer believe. They know they can do it. That's a dangerous thing right now for a team that has as much talent as Lane Kiffin has."

Howard also thinks that teams and fans around the country now have a different perception of Ole Miss. No longer are the Rebels just a "good" SEC team, but they're a program that can compete with (and beat) some of the perennial teams in the league.

"No. 2, people start to look at you differently," Howard continued. "'Oh, okay, they knocked off Georgia.' It wasn't a close game. It was 28-10, so they beat them emphatically. I think Ole Miss right now, because of their confidence, they're one of the most dangerous teams."

The win last week over Georgia was enough to move Ole Miss to No. 11 in the College Football Playoff Rankings, but the Rebels will still need to win out in the regular season to try and earn a bid in the postseason field.

Kickoff next week between Ole Miss and Florida in Gainesville is set for 11 a.m. CT, and the game will be televised on ABC.