The Ole Miss Rebels enter the 2024 season under the biggest spotlight in over 50 years after the US LMB Coaches Top 25 Poll was released on Monday. Ole Miss checks in at No. 6 on the list, which is the program's best preseason ranking since 1970 when the Rebels opened at No. 5.
Head coach Lane Kiffin typically refers to this sort of preseason hype as "rat poison." However, it's clear how the nation currently perceives the state of Ole Miss football. Kiffin and a loaded Ole Miss roster have earned their place in the College Football Playoff conversation, but this poll reflects the country's belief in the Rebels as true national title contenders.
Although this ranking comes with serious expectations, it's time for Ole Miss to break through in the SEC. With Nick Saban gone and programs like Auburn, Texas A&M, LSU, Arkansas, and Mississippi State searching for an identity, the door is wide open for the Rebels to run through it.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart , along with an elite cast of pass catchers featuring wide receivers Tre Harris, Juice Wells, Jordan Watkins, and tight end Caden Prieskorn, it's easy to see why many are bullish on Ole Miss. However, the defensive side of the football is equally exciting, with transfer portal additions in Walter Nolen, Princely Umanmielen, Chris Paul Jr., and more.
This is as well-rounded of a group that Oxford has seen in quite some time. With that being said, the preseason rankings mean nothing once the football is kicked off to begin the fall.
To better understand how these rankings are curated, below is a brief explanation from the USA TODAY website:
The panel is chosen by random draw, conference by conference plus independents, from a pool of coaches who have indicated to the American Football Coaches Association their willingness to participate. Each coach submits a Top 25 with a first-place vote worth 25 points, second place 24, and so on down to one point for 25th.
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