With college football season on the horizon, ESPN Chalk's college football experts -- Phil Steele, "Stanford Steve" Coughlin and Chris Fallica -- combine to give you betting previews of the top 25 teams, according to the ESPN College Football Rankings. They break down each team's strengths and weaknesses, along with season win total bets and national title odds.
Odds from Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook as of Sept. 1.
Ole Miss Rebels
National title odds: 40-1
Season win total: 8.5
Phil Steele
Strengths: Three years ago Hugh Freeze brought in a tremendous recruiting class and those guys are now upperclassmen, highlighted by players like WR LaQuon Treadwell, LT Laremy Tunsil, DT Robert Nkemdiche and LB Tony Conner. The Rebels' receivers, defensive line, offensive line and linebackers all rank in my top 15 units in the country.
Weaknesses: They need a QB to take charge and succeed, and I have questions about all three QB candidates. They have a tough road schedule playing Alabama and Auburn along with Mississippi State and Florida.
Over/under: I have Ole Miss a definite 'dog at Alabama and at Auburn, along with three toss-up games (vs. LSU and on the road against Mississippi State and Florida). If you give them a 50-50 chance in each of those three, I would set the number at 8.5 and that is what it is. No play.
National title: This team got out to a 7-0 start and a No. 3 ranking before a three-point loss to LSU and then the loss to Auburn when Treadwell fumbled into the end zone after breaking his leg; they were then hit hard by injuries. I think Ole Miss is worth a small play at 40-1, as the Rebels are just an upset or two away from winning the West (and they did beat Alabama last year).
"Stanford Steve" Coughlin
What should we expect from Freeze's team after the ultimate roller-coaster season of 2014? They lose a three-year starter at QB (Bo Wallace) and all signs point to the idea that junior college transfer Chad Kelly will be the man calling the signals. And who could forget the awfulness of watching Rebels star wideout Treadwell fumbling away the Auburn game as he was injured near the goal line?
I just hope the team isn't depending on Treadwell to do so much at the start of the season as he attempts to return from such a gruesome injury. Now, if he does respond well, and carries the load from the start of the season, the rest of the league should look out; as Treadwell showed before he got hurt last year, he can dominate in the SEC (catching 120 balls and 10 TDs in the past two years).
When you look at the totality of what Ole Miss will face this season, I don't think they have the offensive personnel to earn a spot in the SEC title game, and I could make an argument that they could lose their final five games of the year. They will likely have four guys taken in the first round of the 2016 draft, and I know they don't have to face the top three teams from the SEC East last year. But, just like plenty of teams I mentioned earlier, I am not willing to predict a successful season for a team when I have never seen their projected starting QB play. Take the under here.
Chris Fallica
Last October, the case could have been made that Ole Miss was the best team in the country. Then the Rebels were cruel victims of the injury bug, and despite a win over rival Mississippi State, weren't even able to muster a 10-win season out of last year. Treadwell appears ready and I love TE Evan Engram. The defense should be salty. Last year Ole Miss was involved in seven games in which the spread was less than five points -- they went 3-4 in those games, mainly because of some bad fortune.
O/U: This number scares me. I think Ole Miss still has a ton of talent. But if you think the Rebels will go to Alabama and Auburn and lose -- and they will be a 'dog in each game -- then the Rebs have to go 9-1 the rest of the way to go over (included in those are games at Florida, A&M, Arkansas, LSU and at Mississippi State). I hesitantly say 9-3 for Ole Miss because I think the pieces are there for potentially much better.
Title odds: I want to like the Rebels at 40-1, I really do. But with inexperience at QB, new faces on defense replacing impact players and road games at Alabama and Auburn - not to mention the rest of the SEC West gantlet -- it's hard to envision anything better than 9-3. And that won't do it for the selection committee. But if they get solid QB play and pull an upset, Ole Miss could be in play late this season. Worth a small play.