16-in-16 2024: Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss is locked and loaded for a deep run in 2024 as expectations have never been higher in Oxford. Can the Lane Train deliver the first SEC title for the Rebs since 1963 and a playoff birth?
By: Hammer
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The Lane Train has been gaining steam ever since he stepped foot on campus. Say what you will about Kiffin, and there is no shortage of opinions out there about him, but the guy can flat-out coach. He’s gone about it differently than most, utilizing the portal as much as anyone in the country, but actually produces, unlike many other portal-heavy teams. He calls himself the portal king, and based on his results, it's hard to argue. Since arriving in 2020, Kiffin has delivered the first-ever 11-win season in school history, one of two 10-win regular seasons. His offenses have been electric and he has been able to hire well on the defensive side to field serviceable defenses.
State of the Program: 9/12 biscuits. Dark horse to win the conference; Pillsbury Golden Flaky layers. Very good, and with a few more layers would be elite.
I was very close to putting them in the 10-biscuit territory but Ole Miss has not made the four-team CFP and hasn't won an SEC title since 1963. The Rebs currently have the third-best odds to win the SEC at +650 so they aren’t really a “dark horse.” But I still gotta see it. A 12-team playoff berth seems within reach this fall, but can they truly compete and win an SEC title, cementing themselves in the top tier of college football? We’ll see.
What went right in 2023?
The 2023 Ole Miss team was damn good. Knocking on the door of the elite. They beat everyone on their schedule except Alabama and Georgia, the two most dominant programs in the sport, both of which were on the road. Extremely impressive. Beating teams you are “supposed” to beat is the hallmark of a good coach and a steady program with a strong culture. Handling your business week in and week out in college sports is way harder than playing a few good games. Thanks to a dynamite season from Jaxson Dart (65% completion, 3,364 passing, 31 total TDs to just 5 picks), the Rebels offense was 16th in the country averaging 35 ppg. Quinshon Judkins (more on him later cause…he gone) had another great year going for 1,158 yards and 15 TDs. Plus, the defense showed drastic improvement under new DC Pete Golding. The Rebs finished 42 in total defense, allowing 382 yards and 22.5 ppg. Those aren’t eye-popping numbers but it was a slight improvement from the 2022 squad. And luckily, with Kiffin’s offense, the defense doesn't have to be elite.
What went wrong in 2023?
I just got done praising Ole Miss for taking care of business and only losing two games to Bama and Georgia on the road. However, these games were never close and that is a problem. The two big boy, elite, top-tier programs Ole Miss played took it to them. Georgia easily disposed of Ole Miss 52-17 in a blowout. The Alabama game was closer by score, but Ole Miss was suffocated in the second half, only mustering a field goal. With an 11-2 season, we’re nitpicking to find things that went wrong but to take the next step, the Rebels have to compete with the big dogs.
What the Rebels need in 2024
To make it to Atlanta and make noise in the new 12-team CFP, the Rebels just need a few things to break their way. We know Jaxson Dart will have a good year and with weapons like Tre Harris and Caden Prieskorn returning and a haul of talent from the portal, they just need a few of those transfers to hit and they will be lethal. A few names to keep your eyes out for on offense: Juice Wells from South Carolina (former All-SEC and 1000 yards WR) and Logan Diggs (averaged 5 YPC in last two years with LSU). There are a myriad of other transfers who could pop but the Rebs brought in 24 new players via the portal and we can’t go through them all. On defense, they are counting on Walter Nolen (DT), Chris Paul Jr (LB), Princely Umanmielen (Edge), Yam Banks (S), and Trey Amos (CB) to inject this defense with top-end talent and elevate them to elite status. With proven players like that, it's not hard to see a really good defense coming in 2024.
How they can earn some extra biscuits
Here is where we get into uncharted territory. With the new 12-team playoff, would Ole Miss be considered a better program if they made it? The Rebs would have made the 12-team field in 2021 and in 2023. By simply making it this year, I don’t know that the program will have actually taken a step forward, but the perception could make it seem that way. Ole Miss is one of many programs in this situation (Penn State, for instance) so I am interested to see what the general thoughts are of Ole Miss moving forward if they make the inaugural 12-team playoff this year. I don’t know the right answer either, we are all swimming in uncharted territory. Certainly making the 12-team CFP and controlling their own destiny for a national title would be great for Ole Miss (and many others) but simply making it doesn't necessarily seem like a giant leap forward, right? I guess we will see how the season plays out and make a determination once we see how this new system works. If they want to earn extra biscuits with no questions asked, then make the SEC title game and win at least one CFP game. That would really vault this program into a tier they have not seen since Archie Manning was under center.
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