Is Ole Miss a 'Likely' First-Time Playoff Team in 2024? Sports Illustrated Reveals

Are the Ole Miss Rebels staring a golden opportunity in the face in the 2024 season?

Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart (2) throws against Mississippi State during the first half of the Egg Bowl at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss., Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. / Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger / USA

The Ole Miss Rebels have been widely considered as one of the programs that can benefit the most from the College Football Playoff's expansion to include 12 teams this season, but are they "likely" to reach the field for the first time in school history?

Recently, College Football HQ, a fellow-affiliate of Sports Illustrated, ranked college football's 10 "likely first-time playoff teams" in 2024, and not only did the Rebels make the list, but they were the No. 1 team on the docket.

You can view an excerpt from the piece below.

1. Ole Miss

Portal King Lane Kiffin brought on another dynamic transfer class, the No. 1 unit in our 2024 rankings, adding elite defensive prospects like Walter Nolen and Princely Umanmielen to the front line. While the Rebels lost Quinshon Judkins in the backfield, they gained Henry Parrish and wide receiver Juice Wells to pair with Jaxson Dart under center and wideout Tre Harris back.

Other teams on this list include some strong Group of Five programs like Tulane and Memphis as well as some "Power" programs like Oklahoma State, Penn State and Tennessee.

Overall, this is a spot-on analysis of the Rebels' situation entering the 2024 season. On paper, it appears that Ole Miss' gains this offseason far outweigh its losses, and even though Quinshon Judkins' departure is a point of emphasis, Lane Kiffin and his staff have done a lot of work to replace his production both in returning talent and the transfer portal.

Defensive additions Walter Nolen and Princely Umanmielen have garnered tons of attention this offseason, and rightly so, but perhaps the biggest note for the Rebels is the return of quarterback Jaxson Dart and his top target in Tre Harris. Football (especially at the college level) is still very much a "quarterback game," and Ole Miss has a veteran under center in Dart.

Dart is entering his third year in Kiffin's offense, and for the first time since he arrived in Oxford, he is the unquestioned starter in the offseason after leading Ole Miss to an 11-2 finish in 2023.

Ole Miss will begin its trek for the playoff on Aug. 31 when it opens the season at home against the FCS Furman Paladins.