Five Keys to a College Football Playoff Run For Ole Miss This Season

Here are five keys to the Ole Miss Rebels reaching the College Football Playoff this season.

Dec 30, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) reacts after a touchdown against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Ole Miss Rebels are not shy about their expectations for the 2024 season: it's College Football Playoff or bust.

Ole Miss has never reached the CFP, but with the postseason field expanding to include 12 teams this year, this appears to be a golden opportunity for the Rebels to finally break through, especially considering the momentum the program has after an 11-win season in 2023.

The expectation may be for the Rebels to reach the CFP this season, but there are 12 regular season games between them and a potential playoff berth. So what needs to happen for Ole Miss to make the field? Here are five keys for coach Lane Kiffin's team in the 2024 season.

1. The transfer-heavy roster gels as a unit.

Lane Kiffin has once again gone all-in in the transfer portal for the 2024 season, filling some holes on his roster with some of the best talent that the market has to offer.

The Ole Miss coach has not pulled his punches when discussing the talent of this roster, but there is still plenty of work to do in order for the Rebels to be a successful team this year. In order for this season to go how the fans in Oxford are expecting, these new faces have to gel with the returning talent on the roster.

"This is definitely the best roster," Kiffin said at the SEC Spring Meetings in Destin. "I don't know if it'll be the best team. There's a lot to be figured out with that. Some of the significant players we have were out for spring, so we'll have a lot of work to do to bring them together to be the best team.

"A couple years ago, we won 10 regular season games and last year won 11 total games, most in school history. I do think the roster is better than that, but that's a lot of work to do to be a better team."

2. Jaxson Dart remains healthy throughout the season.

There's plenty of hype surrounding Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart this offseason, and for good reason. In his second year under Kiffin's leadership, Dart threw for over 3,300 yards and 23 touchdowns last season paired with just five interceptions.

Dark horse Heisman candidate or not, Ole Miss (and most college football teams) will only go as far as its quarterback takes it in 2024, and he needs to be healthy. Dart spent some of spring practice recovering from injuries sustained in the 2023 season, and he shared how he felt physically after the team's Grove Bowl Games in April.

"I feel pretty close to 100 [percent]," Dart said. "I think it's going to be a good period to have this May off to kind of get the extra work that I need and get back to the fundamentals of my game. Thought the training staff has done a great job. They have a really appropriate and detailed plan, and I thought because of that, I'll be in a better situation come season time.

"I'm really excited for this summer and really excited for this little break we have coming up and being back 100 percent."

3. Pete Golding's defense takes a step forward.

Much of Ole Miss' work in the transfer portal this offseason was centered on the defensive side of the ball, adding key pieces up front like DL Walter Nolen, EDGE Princely Umanmielen and LB Chris "Pooh" Paul. But can this revamped defense live up to the hype this season?

This point is somewhat-related to our first key: gelling as a team. Since this defense will feature so many new faces in 2024, it's important that they quickly adapt to Golding's scheme and play to their potential, especially when SEC play rolls around.

The Rebels defense will feature plenty of talent this year, but again, that doesn't always equal production.

4. Take advantage of a seemingly-favorable schedule.

Ole Miss doesn't face Alabama this season, and despite a road trip to LSU, the Rebels seem to have a manageable SEC schedule.

The Rebels will welcome the Georgia Bulldogs to Oxford in November, but outside of this game and the trip to Baton Rouge, there's a good chance Ole Miss is favored in the rest of its conference contests. Taking advantage of this and not having any slip-ups along the way will be huge in a potential CFP run, and it wouldn't hurt to claim one or both of the games against LSU and Georgia in the process.

5. Don't buy into the 'rat poison.'

I'm stealing one of Lane Kiffin's favorite phrases here, but he does have a point. Most of America seems to think that Ole Miss has a legitimate shot at reaching the playoff this season, but the Rebels can't rest on the hype alone. They have to take care of business when kickoff comes in late August.

Again, this team seems to have more than enough talent to reach the CFP this season, but thinking it's a done deal can sink any team, and Ole Miss is no exception. If the Rebels can take care of business despite the hype, there's no reason why a playoff berth (and maybe a win or two) should be out of their grasp.