The Ole Miss Rebels are aiming to make the College Football Playoff in 2024, and more and more media outlets are buying into the hype.
On3's JD Pickell recently named the college football world's “winners of the offseason,” with the Rebels joining the Ohio State Buckeyes, Miami Hurricanes, and Oregon Ducks for a spot. Pickell said of Ole Miss.
“What they kept was Tre Harris, who was a 1,000-yard receiver in the SEC a year ago. You kept quarterback Jackson Dartey. His name was Jackson Dartt. I know there's one, but they call him Jackson Dirty on this show, and the day they're playing it's a party at Ole Miss. They played with Lane Kiffin again. I've said it many times: “I think the fact that you kept Lane Kiffin at Oxford is in the best interest of everyone involved.Lane Kiffin isn't for everyone, but he's not for everyone.'' – It's because of mistakes. Ole Miss champion Lane Kiffin, the way he does it.”
Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin.
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Pickell went on to boast about joining Ole Miss in the transfer portal, saying the combination of wideouts Juice Wells and Tre Harris will be like “Batman and Superman” on the field. He also mentioned big defensive additions, including Walter Nolen and Princely Umanmielen, who joined the defensive line.
“Ole Miss is very realistic in terms of their desire to win the SEC,” Pickell said. “There's a reason why there's a special buzz at Oxford. There's a reason why there's a little bit of special hype right now. Everyone's excited about what's on paper right now, how this roster is going through the portal. I'm looking forward to seeing how they've built it and what they have.”
This analysis is consistent with what other media outlets (including TheGroveReport.com) have highlighted this offseason regarding the Rebels. Ole Miss is coming off one of the best seasons in school history, reaching 11 wins for the first time as a program and defeating Penn State in the New Year's Six Bowl.
That momentum, combined with the College Football Playoff's expansion to 12 teams this season, gives Ole Miss a great chance to qualify and make a run at the national championship. The SEC's divisional model is gone, and the SEC Championship Game doesn't play as big a role as it does now in determining who in the conference makes the playoffs.
Instead, the equation is: It's “victory”. That may be an oversimplification, but an Ole Miss team with 10 or 11 wins would be highly talked about this season as one of the 12 seeds in the playoffs, and with so much talent returning, Since there will be new additions, there will likely be another double-digit win campaign. It's not out of the question. In fact, it's probably an expectation.
The key now for the Rebels is staying healthy. The talent is there, but missing talent due to injury won't help us on this journey. That's probably a big reason why Ole Miss changed its format this spring, opting for 7-on-7 skill-based competition called Globe Bowl Games instead of a full-fledged scrimmage.
The Globe Bowl game begins Saturday at 3 p.m. CT at Vought-Hemingway Stadium and is scheduled to be televised on SEC Network+.
