No. 14 LSU | No. 16 Stanford | Top 25
No. 15: Ole Miss
Last Season: 9-4 (5-3 SEC)
Now or never for Rebels' heralded class
It's last call for the recruiting class that changed the tide of Ole Miss football. In February 2013, then second-year head coach Hugh Freeze stunned those who make their living in the prep football player prognostication industry by signing 10 ESPN 300 players and leaping from 22nd to fifth in the national class rankings. But the group led by Robert Nkemdiche, Laquon Treadwell Tony Conner and Laremy Tunsil -- each a preseason All-SEC selection -- won't be in Oxford next season. They'll be in the NFL. For now, the former new kids on the Grove are now the veterans on a team in need of a leader, thanks to the loss of quarterback Bo Wallace, the three-year starter who produced 3,400 yards of offense last fall. Road trips to Alabama, Florida, Auburn and Mississippi State will either make for a legendary sendoff for the Class of '13, or forever mark them as the group that merely almost was. -- Ryan McGee
Under Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss has upgraded its talent level significantly, and last year's impressive start was a testament to that. This year the Rebels return 16 starters on a team loaded with potential first-round NFL prospects, including star WR Laquon Treadwell (632 yards in nine games before he broke his leg), LT Laremy Tunsil, DL Robert Nkemdiche and nickelback Tony Conner. They have three units that rank in my top 10 in the nation-receiver, defensive line and linebacker-and have the good fortune of avoiding the top three squads out of the East. Not only do the Rebels have a chance for their first double-digit win total in 12 years, they have a shot to make it to Atlanta.
Ole Miss' chances to win each game
09.05 vs. UT Martin: 99.9%
09.12 vs. Fresno State: 98.3%
09.19 @ Alabama: 36.0%*
09.26 vs. Vanderbilt: 89.4%
10.03 @ Florida: 62.8%
10.10 vs. New Mexico State: 98.9%
10.17 @ Memphis: 86.6%
10.24 vs. Texas A&M: 57.1%
10.31 @ Auburn: 51.7%
11.07 vs. Arkansas: 58.7%
11.21 vs. LSU: 52.8%
11.28 @ Mississippi State: 66.5%
*BROCK HUARD, ESPN Analyst: A couple of first-year QB starters have won in Tuscaloosa under Nick Saban's reign, but their names were Cam Newton and Johnny Manziel -- it'll be tough for juco transfer Chad Kelly, the likely starter. In this one, a 1-in-3 shot feels a whole lot more like 1-in-10.
SHARON KATZ, ESPN Stats & Info: You can't ask for a better matchup than Ole Miss and Alabama, FPI's top two projected defenses in the nation. Alabama has the edge on offense, though, where it has ranked higher than Ole Miss in efficiency for 10 straight years.
The Rebels are absolutely loaded on defense, and once Chad Kelly takes over at quarterback, Ole Miss will challenge for the SEC West title and finish the year 9-3. -- Edward Aschoff
Yet another SEC team with quarterback questions (sensing a trend here yet?) that will go 9-3 thanks to a big group of key returning players from the Rebels' breakout 2014 season. -- David Ching
That stellar 2013 recruiting class enters its third season, so this should be a big one for the Rebels; their defense remains salty and QB play will be effective enough for a 10-2 mark. -- Sam Khan Jr.
Beat Alabama early, and Ole Miss might win the West. The more likely scenario is that the Rebels lose in Tuscaloosa and finish 8-4. -- Greg Ostendorf
Depth, depth, depth. The Rebs can have all the projected first-round picks they want, but without a stable situation at QB and without quality backups in case of an injury, they won't do better than 9-3. -- Alex Scarborough
No. 14 LSU | No. 16 Stanford | Top 25
