Ole Miss Football Ranked In AP Poll For First Time Since 2016

The Rebels' Monday night performance caught the eyes of national media.

Since the week of Oct. 16, 2016, the Ole Miss Rebels are nationally ranked for the first time.

The Associated Press released its Week Two Top 25 at 2 ET/1 CT, listing the Rebels as the No. 20 team in the country. You can find the full poll here:

This week’s @AP_Top25 poll:

1-Bama
2-Georgia
3-OhioSt
4-Oklahoma
5-A&M
6-Clemson
7-Cincinnati
8-NDame
9-IowaSt
10-Iowa
11-PennSt
12-Oregon
13-Florida
14-USC
15-Texas
16-UCLA
17-CoastalCarolina
18-Wisconsin
19-VaTech
20-OleMiss
21-Utah
22-Miami
23-ArizSt
24-UNC
25-Auburn

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) September 7, 2021

READ MORE: Bad News SEC, It Appears That Ole Miss Has A Defense

Ole Miss knocked off Louisville 43-24 in Atlanta on Monday night, thanks in large part to the effort put forth Heisman dark horse Matt Corral, who threw for 381 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 55 yards and an additional score on 12 carries.

"I think especially in college football when you can pull the ball and be a threat, it changes how you have to play defense," Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin said of his quarterback. "I've said it all along: I think the guy is really special. If he plays like this, he's going to make a lot of money and be in the top 10 picks [in the NFL draft]."

However, it was the defense of Ole Miss that took most of the nation by surprise on Monday night, a unit that has been reinvigorated by linebacker transfer Chance Campbell, as well as D.J. Durkin's new-look 3-2-6 scheme. 

"[The defense] played how we are supposed to," Kiffin said after the win. "Obviously we completely changed schemes from what we did a year ago, and I had not talked about it on purpose and waited for this game."

Now sporting a top-20 ranking in both the coaches poll and the AP poll, Ole Miss will head into its first home date of the season at Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium, where Austin Peay will await them this Saturday afternoon. 

---

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Rebels? Click Here.

Follow The Grove Report On Facebook and Twitter.