Joel Klatt Makes Case For Unexpected Team In Top Five Of College Football

Fans are well aware that the landscape of college football has changed due to all of the conference realignment but there is one program that hasn't moved that still may catch people by surprise.

When most think of dominance or contenders in the SEC, our minds often go to Alabama, Georgia, or even LSU. The conference added two college football powers in Texas and Oklahoma who will each look to be contenders, but there is a particular program that has slowly been working its way into the discussion for being one of the best in the country, and 2024 may be the year they strike.

One person who won't be caught by surprise if it does happen is FOX's Joel Klatt who recently released his preseason top 25. Klatt had Ole Miss all the way near the top of the rankings, with them debuting at No. 5 in the country. A mark that is considerably higher than ESPN's FPI which had them at No. 16.

“I put Ole Miss at five, Ole Miss is really talented,” Klatt said . “Lane Train coming in the portal, like just an absolute freight train. They have Jaxson Dart back. They just won 11 games. They’ve got it figured out with NIL. They’re building a great roster. Dart is going into his third year, so they’ve got this experience factor. I just, I know that they have to replace Quinshon Judkins, but man, like Ole Miss feels really good."

He also touched on the fact that with the expanded playoff, their chances have increased insurmountably.

“Now, they don’t have to win the conference," Klatt said. "They don’t have to beat the best teams in the SEC in order to go. So now all of a sudden, you look at a playoff berth and you’re like, ‘Oh, yeah, no, that can absolutely happen.’ A reasonable schedule by SEC standards. They have to play Georgia, but that one’s at home. They get a home game versus Oklahoma, and a road game at LSU. That’s not bad in that conference. So, Ole Miss is a team that I’ve got at five.”

According to ESPN's FPI, Ole Miss ranks as the No. 22 team in the strength of schedule department which as Klatt mentioned does provide some challenges. However, now that teams no longer have to be perfect, they are allowed a few slip-ups here and there throughout the year.

The Rebels may be one of the handfuls of teams that go from outside looking into contending for a title because of the expansion. In 2023 they finished 11-2, winning the Peach Bowl. Had the playoff been at 12 teams then, they surely would have made it.

Now, they have to prove they can sustain that success.