CFB Prediction 2024: Will Success Transfer to No. 6 Ole Miss?

The NCAA football odds have Ole Miss as one of the teams to watch in the race for not only the SEC title. but also the national championship. Last season, the Rebels only lost to SEC juggernauts Alabama and Georgia.

Quarterback Jaxson Dart cut down on his interceptions and is now being viewed as a Heisman Trophy candidate and a player showing up in the college football odds of being the first quarterback selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.

We ready. QB1 @JaxsonDart is going to leave it all on the field this season 🎯#HottyToddy #BeatsPartner #BeatsElite pic.twitter.com/cMsiRCK5GC

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) August 21, 2024

Ole Miss was fourth in the preseason SEC poll. The SEC championship odds have Ole Miss fourth at +650 to win the SEC title but the Rebels have been closing the gap on Alabama.

Ole Miss is priced at -130 in the college football odds to make the College Football Playoffs. The Rebels are sixth at +1400 in the odds of winning the national championship.

The Rebels have -120 odds to go over 9½ wins during the regular season. Ole Miss should be favored in 10 of the 12 games. The Rebels are 25-3 outright as a favorite over the last three seasons.

Ole Miss is sixth in the Associated Press and American Football Coaches Association preseason rankings. The BetUS Top 25 countdown has the Rebels at No. 6 as well.

Ole Miss Rebels at a Glance

• 2023 record: 11-2
• 2023 SEC Record: 6-2
• Head coach: Lane Kiffin
• Odds To Win SEC: +650

Dart Back to Lead The Ole Miss Offense

Dart completed a higher percentage of passes in 2023 despite throwing more deep balls. He also went from throwing 11 interceptions in his first season as the starting QB for the Rebels to five last season.

Tre Harris is back after leading Ole Miss with 985 yards and eight touchdown catches. Only three players from the Power-5 conferences with at least 50 receptions averaged more yards per catch than Harris.

Jordan Watkins and tight end Caden Prieskorn are other top pass catchers back for Ole Miss while former South Carolina receiver Antwane Wells is another receiver to keep an eye on, so it could be a big season for Dart, who is tied for fourth at +1200 in the Heisman Trophy odds. He trails only Georgia’s Carson Beck and Quinn Ewers of Texas in the college football odds of leading the SEC in passing yards.

Harrison (+600) and Antwane Wells (+700) are second and third in the college football odds of topping the SEC in receiving yards.

The running game will look much different with Quinshon Judkins now at Ohio State. Even though it was a much smaller sample size, Ulysses Bennett averaged more yards per carry than Judkins did in 2023.

Ole Miss has plenty of experience on the offensive line.

Leading tackler Trey Washington, safety John Saunders, linebacker Khari Coleman as well as defensive linemen J.J. Pegues and Jared Ivey all return. Ole Miss a;sp added plenty of talent via the transfer portal and looks to improve after finishing 10th in the SEC in total defense last season.

#OleMiss football’s Khari Coleman and @jared_ivey1595 stay competing for sacks and TFLs.

They’re stingy about it, too. Like lobbying against 0.5s for their teammates 😆

New Ivey League is out! Sign up for @OMSpiritOn3 👉 https://t.co/qn5R8evZHw pic.twitter.com/OOFg32PkeM

— Ben Garrett (@SpiritBen) August 8, 2024

Even with the departure of Judkins, Ole Miss had the top-rated transfer class in the country according to the 247sports.com database.

Texas A&M defensive lineman, Florida edge rusher Princely Imanmielen, Wells, Alabama cornerback Trey Amos, Arkansas linebacker Chris Paul, South Alabama safety Yam Banks, Virginia Tech tight end Dae’Quan Wright, LSU running back Logan Diggs, Washington offensive lineman Nate Kalepo, Maryland running back Rashad Amos and Oklahoma safety Key Lawrence lead the list of incoming transfers.

Ole Miss also signed junior college receivers Deion Smith and Marquis Willis while offensive lineman William Echoles is the top-rated incoming freshman.

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Ole Miss 2024 Betting Outlook

Other than a trip to face Wake Forest, the non-conference slate shouldn’t do much to prepare Ole Miss for the rigors of the SEC schedule.

Ole Miss has lost to Alabama in each of the last eight seasons so it is good news that the Crimson Tide aren’t on the schedule in 2024. There is also no matchup with Texas so Ole Miss won’t play two of the three teams ahead of the Rebels in the SEC preseason poll.

The Rebels are currently listed by the college football spread as the road underdog against LSU on Oct. 12. That begins a stretch of three of four games against ranked teams with Oklahoma coming to Oxford two weeks later and the Rebels playing host to Georgia on Nov. 9.

Ole Miss was one of four SEC teams to cover in at least 60% of its games last season. That was aided by a 4-2-1 mark against the spread at home. Among SEC teams, only South Carolina and Auburn have fewer games land over the total than the Rebels.

Ole Miss 2024 Schedule

Aug. 31 vs Furman, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+, SEC Network+)
Sept. 7 vs Middle Tennessee State, 4:15 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Sept. 14 at Wake Forest, 6:30 p.m. ET (CW Network)
Sept. 21 vs Georgia Southern, 7:45 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Sept. 28 vs Kentucky, noon ET
Oct. 5 at South Carolina
Oct. 12 at LSU
Oct. 26 vs Oklahoma
Nov. 2 at Arkansas
Nov. 9 vs Georgia
Nov. 23 at Florida, noon ET
Nov. 30 vs Mississippi State, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN+)

Bet on Mississippi Rebels This Season

Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets.

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