Three Predictions for Ole Miss in Saturday's Season Opener vs. Furman

The season is here, and it's almost time for the Ole Miss Rebels to line it up against the Paladins.

Nov 4, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) and head coach Lane Kiffin (right) talk during warm ups prior to the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

The Furman Paladins head to Oxford this weekend to kick off the highly-anticipated 2024 campaign for the Ole Miss Rebels. The hype around the 2024 season has been at an all-time high, and it's time for the Rebels to back it up.

Lane Kiffin told the media on Monday that this Furman team is talented, referencing the 2023 Paladins season where they hung with the South Carolina Gamecocks for a while before the Gamecocks pulled away. Kiffin also talked about how the Paladins are a very well-coached and disciplined team.

Furman was a 10-win team last year before bowing out in the FCS Playoffs to Montana, the eventual tournament runner-up. The Paladins lost some important pieces from that 2023 playoff team but will still be one that can take advantage of some early mistakes from the Rebels.

With that being said, here are three predictions for Saturday's matchup between Ole Miss and Furman.

Ole Miss Covers

The Rebels are 42-point favorites on Saturday, and while that is a huge point spread, this Rebels offense is going to come out humming.

Lane Kiffin and Charlie Weis Jr. always seem to have an excellent script to start a ballgame, and while they don't want to give anything way this early against a lower-tier team, I think the Rebels want to, in some ways, make a statement.

I think Ole Miss covers and does so with little trouble.

Dart Starts the Heisman Campaign

While we could see both Walker Howard and Austin Simmons in this game on Saturday after the score is decided, I think Kiffin is going to try and get Dart some stat pad opportunities.

Ole Miss has zero Heisman Trophy winners in its school history, and you know Kiffin wants his guy to be the one to bring the first to bring one back to Oxford.

Dart has been climbing up Heisman odds boards, and with a big Week 1 game, he can set the stage for a big-time year, not just for his team team but as an individual, which he would be the first to tell you doesn't matter.

Kam and William Flash

Kam Franklin and William Echoles look to be the future of this Ole Miss defensive line under Randall Joyner, but what if the future is now? Echoles and Franklin were some of the most sought-after talent in Mississippi during high school, and when they both decided to come to Oxford, defensive coordinator Pete Golding had to be licking his chops.

I expect these guys to get a lot of snaps on Saturday and get their first taste of game reps in college. Both of these players look the part, and it will be exciting for these fans to see how talented some of the young defensive linemen are.