'Loaded!' Ole Miss Labeled as 'Legit Contender' to Make CFP Run This Season

The offseason hype continues to grow around the Ole Miss Rebels for the 2024 season.

Sep 30, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Tre Harris (9) runs after a catch during the first half against the LSU Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

The Ole Miss Rebels seem to have the firepower to challenge for a College Football Playoff berth in the 2024 season, but some analysts are taking that prediction a step further.

Recently on the PFF College Football Show, host Max Chadwick essentially went all-in on Ole Miss, telling his co-host Dalton Wasserman that the Rebels are among the nation's elite, from a talent perspective.

"Even with one of the best years in program history [in 2023], it still feels like an appetizer for 2024, man," Chadwick said. "This team is freaking loaded, and I know the power ranking from PFF is 14th right now, but I think both of us would agree that this is a top five team in the country."

Chadwick was also high on another Power Four team a year ago that had a stellar year before injuries derailed their campaign late: the Florida State Seminoles. He sees a lot of similarities between last year's FSU team and this year's Ole Miss roster.

"The way I would compare them is so much like last year with Florida State," Chadwick said. "I had them at No. 4 in the country entering the year because they brought back so many great players from an already great team the year before, and [Ole Miss] added so much talent in the transfer portal. I think they're not only a legit contender to make the College Football Playoff, but I think they're a legit contender to make it really far in the College Football Playoff.

"There's kind of a big three in college football of Georgia, Ohio State and Oregon. I would put Ole Miss at No. 4."

That's lofty praise. Even if Ole Miss isn't the fourth-best team in the country, its schedule does it some favors this season as the Rebels miss out on facing the Alabama Crimson Tide and Texas Longhorns. Although they will travel to Baton Rouge to face LSU and take on the Georgia Bulldogs, the latter of those games will come in the friendly confines of Oxford.

Just how far Ole Miss can go this season depends on a variety of factors, however. Can the Rebels stay healthy? Can they navigate a tricky SEC schedule without some powerhouses on the docket? And can this transfer-heavy team gel into one culture and face adversity when it strikes?

All of that remains to be seen, but from a pure talent perspective, Ole Miss is attracting attention as being one of the top teams in the country this season.