Ole Miss Football Overrated or Underrated Heading Into 2023 Season?

With a difficult schedule on tap for Ole Miss in 2023, are the Rebels a team to be feared or pushovers?

OXFORD, Miss. -- This offseason Ole Miss Rebels coach Lane Kiffin once again reloaded his roster with another haul of players via the NCAA Transfer Portal and gave his defense some juice by bringing in former Alabama Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Pete Golding. But will another transfer class and new-look defense make the Rebels a serious threat in 2023? According to 247Sports, Ole Miss is not exactly a team to be feared this fall.

On Monday, 247Sports listed eight programs that are either overrated or underrated entering the new season, and Ole Miss was considered overrated. This is why the hype may not be real for the Rebels.

OLE MISS REBELS (OVERRATED)

Average preseason ranking

: No. 21

Ole Miss took a step back down the stretch during last season's spiral, but this time around, the Rebels' slate is treacherous from the get-go. After traveling to nationally-ranked Tulane in Week 2, Ole Miss will contend with Alabama on the road in its SEC opener two weeks later and then host LSU in the league's home opener. That's three potential losses in September for Lane Kiffin. Gulp. Not only would that put Ole Miss outside of the national rankings, but it would be an uphill climb to get back there the rest of the way to justify preseason billing. It's not going to happen.

Sophomore quarterback Jaxson Dart had an impressive spring, showing great poise and control in the pocket, making some believe Dart could be primed for a second-year jump similar to former Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral, who in his second season under Kiffin made drastic improvements to his game. Dart's rise could not come at a better time, as Ole Miss has a very difficult schedule on tap for 2023, including road contests versus the Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs. 

The kicker is that before the Rebels can even travel to Athens they have to deal with the Crimson Tide, LSU Tigers, Arkansas Razorbacks, and nationally-ranked Tulane Green Wave. If Ole Miss wants to make it out of the regular season with three losses or less, it will not only need to see improvement from its defense but a big year from Dart.

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You can follow Ben King on Twitter at @BKing_2023.

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