Ole Miss Schedule Preview: Season Opener vs. Furman Paladins

The Ole Miss Rebels will open their season at home against the FCS Furman Paladins on Aug. 31.

Furman (8-1, 6-0 SoCon) took on VMI (4-5, 3-3 SoCon) in college football on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023 at Paladin Stadium in Greenville, S.C. Furman won the game 37-3 and the SoCon championship. Furman's Carson Jones (5) on a passing play. / ALEX HICKS JR./STAFF / USA TODAY NETWORK

The 2024 college football season is still about a month away, but with SEC Media Days in the rearview mirror, now is the time to begin previewing the Ole Miss Rebels' schedule.

Ole Miss is coming off an 11-2 season that saw it capture a Peach Bowl victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions in December. The Rebels return a plethora of talent from last year's team (including quarterback Jaxson Dart, wide receiver Tre Harris, tight end Caden Prieskron and others), but they also made a huge haul in the transfer portal to shore up some holes on its roster.

It's this combination of talent and a seemingly-managble SEC schedule that have many believing the Rebels can qualify for the new 12-team College Football Playoff.

Over the next 12 days, Ole Miss OnSI will preview each of the Rebels' 2024 regular season opponents. Today, we begin with the season opener against the Furman Paladins.

Furman Paladins

Furman is a stout opponent, as far as FCS teams go. The Paladins have posted back-to-back 10-win seasons and made appearances in the FCS Playoffs, dropping a quarterfinal game to Montana last season in overtime. They also claimed the SoCon title in the 2023 season.

The Paladins were relatively balanced a season ago offensively, averaging about 189 passing yards per game and 157 rushing yards per game. According to the team's online roster, they will have to replace their leading passer and leading rushers from a season ago, however, as running back Dominic Roberto and quarterback Tyler Huff are no longer with the team.

Roberto was recently invited to the New Orleans Saints' rookie minicamp, and Huff has transferred to Jacksonville State to play for former Ole Miss offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez.

At quarterback, it's possible that redshirt sophomore Carson Jones will take over the offense after winning Southern Conference Co-Freshman of the Year honors last season. He saw action in six games a year ago, so the continuity would make some sense for the Paladins.

Even though Furman boasts a strong recent history in the FCS ranks, this one should be a normal day at the office for Ole Miss in late August. Season openers can sometimes be a little rusty, but the SEC talent on the Rebels' roster should prove to be more than enough when the Paladins come to town.

Kickoff on Aug. 31 is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.