Ole Miss Cracks Top 10 in Newest Post-Spring Rankings, Rebels Too Low?

The Ole Miss Rebels took a dive in the post-spring top 25 rankings released by an On3 analyst on Tuesday.

Dec 30, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin after a victory against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Ole Miss Rebels took a dive in the post-spring top 25 rankings released by an On3 analyst on Tuesday.

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OXFORD, Miss. – We have reached the point of the offseason where Top 25 rankings predictions are the talk of the town. The Ole Miss Rebels have been included in just about every rendition that has been published this offseason after Lane Kiffin essentially recruited an entirely new defense via the NCAA Transfer Portal this offseason.

In most of these aforementioned post-spring rankings, the Rebels have landed at No. 6 in the nation, but the latest Top 25 had Ole Miss take a bit of a dive in the Top 10. On3 analyst/personality Andy Staples released his Top 25 projections on Tuesday and had the Rebels falling to No. 9.

This begs the question: is Ole Miss ranked too low? In my opinion, yes.

Staples’ reasoning behind Ole Miss taking a tumble can be found below.

“I need to see [Ole Miss] beat an elite team,” Staples said. “This roster is good enough to compete for the national title. But the games against Alabama and Georgia last season showed exactly where the Rebels need to improve if they want to reach the level of those two programs.

“Not many teams can get appreciably better on the line of scrimmage through the transfer portal, but Ole Miss may have pulled it off. The Rebels get a visit from Georgia this year, but other than that, the schedule is manageable compared to some others in the SEC. Anything less than a playoff berth for Ole Miss would be a crushing disappointment.”

A lot of factors go into preseason Top 25 rankings nowadays, but losing to Georgia and Alabama in 2023 should not be dragging Ole Miss down the projections. If beating an elite team is that important, then why is Notre Dame rated one spot ahead of Ole Miss in the Top 10? What was Notre Dame’s “elite win” in 2023? Beating Oregon State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl 40-8?

On paper, Ole Miss has one of the most talented rosters in college football that is limited only by a lack of chemistry and playoff experience. A favorable schedule and revamped roster should help Ole Miss achieve its first playoff appearance in program history in 2024, if all goes well in Oxford.