Texas Tech
I picked Ole Miss to come out victorious over Texas Tech last week in our pick ‘em, and the Rebels proved me right. The offense did what it does, dropping 47 on the Red Raiders, and the defense played better than expected. Ole Miss gained a lot of momentum for the season in Houston.
Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois is simply outmatched in this game. Although upsets and scares happen all the time in college football (looking at you Penn State), that will not be the case this weekend. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium will be rocking on Saturday. I expect a blowout in the home opener.
Alabama
Now, the one that everyone’s been waiting for: the Alabama game. Ole Miss opens SEC play at home versus the Crimson Tide. Alabama isn’t going to stop the Ole Miss offense, and Ole Miss isn’t going to stop the Alabama offense — unless Jalen Hurts is in the game. The question becomes: Who will win the turnover battle? If Ole Miss plays a clean game with no turnovers and forces a turnover or two, the Rebels take it. I’m going with the upset at home.
Kent State
Ole Miss comes into this game having just upset the No. 1 team in the nation with a trip to Baton Rouge on the horizon. The Rebels stumble into this game with an unfocused attitude in the first half but pick it up in the second and win convincingly to improve to 4-0.
LSU
The Rebels’ first true road test comes in its week five matchup versus LSU. At this point, the Rebs are ranked in the top 15 nationally and are riding high. Unfortunately, it looks as if LSU may have found its guy with quarterback Joe Burrow. Burrow and the LSU defense defend their home turf and ruin Ole Miss’ undefeated bid.
University of Louisiana-Monroe
The University of Louisiana-Monroe comes to town for homecoming on Oct. 6 and has a chance to pile onto the Rebel woes from a week prior. However, they don’t get the job done. Ole Miss destroys ULM from the opening snap.
Arkansas
I honestly dread this game more than any other in the SEC. Ole Miss is currently on a four-game losing streak versus the Razorbacks, including the loss caused by the infamous 4th-and-25 play and last year’s heartbreaker. So the Rebels should be out for revenge in Fayetteville. Ole Miss redeems itself from a year ago and wins big.
Auburn
Auburn had its way with Ole Miss last season. With a score of 44-23, the game was never in jeopardy for the Tigers. Gus Malzahn has his Tigers ready to play again in this one, and they win big over the Rebs.
South Carolina
South Carolina is supposed to be better this season than they’ve been in a number of years. After week one, the Gamecocks sit at No. 24 — too high for them. Ole Miss takes advantage of this rarely seen matchup and wins easily.
Texas A&M
At this point in the season, Ole Miss is on top of the world. The Rebels go on the road to College Station for their first away game in three weeks. I think the Aggies and new head coach Jimbo Fisher hold serve and ruin the Rebels’ bid for a two-loss season.
Vanderbilt
Ole Miss always kind of has trouble with this yearly rivalry. However, they don’t this year. Derek Mason’s Commodores get blown out in Nashville.
Mississippi State
The Egg Bowl is the only game that truly matters in the state of Mississippi. Ole Miss is coming off of a big upset in Starkville during Matt Luke’s interim season. This time, the game is in Oxford. I think Ole Miss will be ready to play. I also think Joe Moorhead is vastly overrated and will crumble under the pressure. Ole Miss takes it to move to 9-3 on the season and 4-1 against Mississippi State in the last five years.
