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 Aug. 15.
Ole Miss Rebels
National title odds: 40-1
Season win total: 8
FPI win total projection: 8.1
Phil Steele
Strengths: The Rebels have one of the top quarterbacks in the country in Chad Kelly and a dangerous receiving corps. They have potential first-round draft picks on all three levels of the defense, with defensive end Marquis Haynes, linebacker Tony Conner and cornerback Kendarius Webster.
Weaknesses: The offensive line has only 36 career starts back, as it lost five linemen who started five-plus games last year. The Rebels special teams have been far from that moniker, ranking 80th and 71st the past two seasons.
Over/under: The Rebels are a team that I have in the top 10 of my Power Poll, so eight wins appears to be a very cheap number. The schedule is the reason for that. The Rebels face the second-toughest schedule in the country, with games away from home against Florida State, Arkansas, LSU and Texas A&M and home games against Alabama and Georgia.
National title: Keep in mind that last year, if not for that lateral play versus Arkansas, Ole Miss would have won the SEC West and probably knocked Alabama out of the College Football Playoff. I don't have the Rebels the underdogs by more than seven points in any game, and they have beaten Alabama in two straight years. The odds should be closer to 25-1.
"Stanford Steve" Coughlin
O/U: As we get closer to the beginning of the season, everyone is discussing how bad the offseason was for Baylor, and with the recent happenings in South Bend, Notre Dame gets mentioned as a team ready to move forward with football and leave the summer behind. But Ole Miss is surely ready for the season to start, as the program endured some brutal publicity with recruiting mishaps this past offseason. The prize waiting on opening weekend is a team many consider to be the most talented in the ACC, Florida State.
Although that monster recruiting class of Laquon Treadwell, Robert Nkemdiche and Laremy Tunsil has come and gone, I think head coach Hugh Freeze has stocked the cabinets with enough talent across the board. The Rebels are going to need that depth, as they face FSU, Alabama and Georgia all in September. Everyone knows Ole Miss returns QB Chad Kelly, and when you look at what division rivals Alabama and LSU have at QB, that is a major advantage. Even so, I see the Ole Miss schedule as too daunting, and I just don't see an SEC title game in the Rebels' future, so I'll go with the under.
Chris Fallica
O/U: I don't see many automatic wins on the slate. How much better can it get for the Rebels, who won nine regular-season games each of the past two seasons, including two wins over Alabama? Can Ole Miss beat Bama for a third straight year?
The Rebels' September is up there among the toughest in the country: opening with Florida State, the Alabama game and a home game against Georgia. Still, I can't see Ole Miss going 7-5 and falling under eight. A record of 8-4 is a possibility, but so is a whole lot better, as the Rebs have one of the most exciting QBs in the country and have loaded up in recruiting the past few years. Three first-round picks are gone, but there are probably a whole lot more on the roster in Oxford. Play the over.
Playoff odds: The Rebels are an interesting team. If the CFP is serious about proving that scheduling matters, then a close loss to Florida State in the season opener shouldn't be a burden to Ole Miss' playoff chances. Say the Rebels lose one more game but win the SEC Championship at 11-2. There is no way you are keeping them out. Even a 10-2 Ole Miss would have a much stronger CFP argument than most teams. I would take a shot.