Ole Miss Rebels will prove oddsmakers wrong in a major way during the 2024 college football season

Expectations are as high as they've ever been in Oxford, Mississippi. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has built a multi-faceted monster in the Velvet Ditch, but nothing short of a College Football Playoff appearance will be considered a success.

Pressure is a privilege, and Ole Miss has plenty of it. Oddsmakers have set the Rebels' win total at 9.5, which leaves little room for error for those backing Ole Miss. With that being said, the Rebels have a manageable schedule, with some of the toughest games coming at home.

Let's make the case for betting OVER the Ole Miss win total.

Starting Hot

The Rebels will breeze through their non-conference slate to start the season 4-0. Wake Forest is Ole Miss' toughest opponent out of conference, but went 4-8 last season, including 1-7 in the ACC.

Three Key Games

Although anything can happen on Saturdays in the SEC, Ole Miss has a favorable conference schedule. Games against unranked opponents feature home matchups against Kentucky and Mississippi State with road games at South Carolina, Arkansas, and Florida. Four of those five teams will come against teams who have made changes at the quarterback position, which will bode well for Ole Miss' new-look defense.

The three games that will decide the fate of the Rebels' win total are at LSU and home matchups with Oklahoma and Georgia. Ole Miss hasn't won on the road in the Magnolia Bowl since 2008, so the Rebels will be in for a fight down in Baton Rouge.

Even if Ole Miss drops a game to LSU, Ole Miss' shot to win 10+ games is still very much in play, Following a road trip to Death Valley, Ole Miss has a bye week before a critical matchup against Oklahoma inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. There has been plenty of chatter surrounding this matchup between both teams, but the winner could be set up for a bid to the College Football Playoff.

The most difficult game on the Rebels' schedule is undoubtedly a date at home against Georgia. The Bulldogs embarrassed Ole Miss last season in front of a College Gameday crowd, but going into Oxford and winning against a beefed-up Rebels squad won't be easy. Kiffin has been nearly untouchable in Oxford with a 19-2 record at home since 2021.

Take The Over

At the end of the day, Ole Miss should hit this number so long as they take care of business against some of the SEC teams that will lie in the middle of the road. If all goes according to plan, the Rebels will need to find at least one win in those three games against ranked opponents. With two of those games coming at home, Kiffin should finish his third season with at least 10 wins in the last four years.