The college football offseason is almost over as we are halfway through July. The season will get going in about a month and a half, and college football fans everywhere are eager for the new beginning. College football fever is rampant across the country as we get closer to the season, but also because of the new EA Sports NCAA 25 video game that just came out last Monday. All in all, it’s an exciting time to be a college football fan, and one fan base that is excited for the season is Ole Miss football fans. The Rebels have a big season ahead of them.
This college football season is going to be a big one for a number of reasons. The sport is going through big changes, and some of those changes are going to be seen for the first time this season. Let’s take a look at what some of them are.
First off, there are going to be some new rules seen this year in college football, and some fans aren’t really in favor of them. Perhaps the biggest change is the addition of the two-minute warning. Fans have already started getting sick at all of the commercials that are happening in today’s era of college football, and the two-minute warning is another way for tv networks to get more commercial times in.
The bigger changes, however, come with conference realignment and the expanded College Football Playoff. College football is going to look completely different next year because of those two things. California schools playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference? Yeah, things are changing.
Conference realignment has shaken things up big time in college football. The power five is no longer a thing as the Pac-12 is essentially dead. Every team left for a new conference except for Oregon State and Washington State. Those two teams have scheduling alliances with the Mountain West.
Every other Pac-12 school found a new home. Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State are now in the Big 12. Oregon, Oregon State, USC and UCLA joined the Big Ten. Lastly, Cal and Stanford joined the ACC (makes a ton of sense, right?).
The other big change with conferences comes in the SEC. Oklahoma and Texas are both leaving the Big 12 and they will join the SEC. The Big Ten and the SEC are loaded with good teams and seem on the verge of forming two super conferences.
This season, we will also see 12 teams make the College Football Playoff. For about a month, the College Football Playoff will be happening. Some people aren’t in favor of the big expansion, but there will be more marquee college football games, and it’s hard to be too upset about that.
All in all, this is going to be one of the biggest college football seasons of all time. The game is changing, and this is the start of a new era.
Is this the year for Ole Miss football?
The Ole Miss football team has had a good amount of success under head coach Lane Kiffin, and the 2024 season seems like the one where they can finally get over the hump and get into the College Football Playoff. Last year, the Rebels ended up going 11-2 with a win in the Peach Bowl against Penn State (essentially the Big Ten's Ole Miss). Another regular season like they had last year, and the Rebels will find themselves in the College Football Playoff.
With the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams, the door is wide open for Ole Miss to make their first appearance this season. The expansion helps a lot, but even without it, this would be the Rebels' best chance to make a run at the SEC title and the CFP under Lane Kiffin.
Ole Miss is returning an abundance of talent this season, including quarterback Jaxson Dart, and also, Alabama no longer has Nick Saban. The door is open for other teams to have a run of success now that Saban is gone. Are the Crimson Tide going to go away? Probably not, but it's reasonable to think that they might take a step back after losing one of the most dominant college football coaches ever.
The recipe is there for Ole Miss football to have a big season, however, it's not going to be easy. The Rebels have some tricky games on their schedule, and here are the three games that will give them the most fits.
vs. Oklahoma
The fact that a home game vs. Oklahoma is on here as the third most difficult game is a good sign for Ole Miss football. This is obviously one opinion and others might think there are some games not listed that will be harder, but this is certainly one of the trickier opponents that the Rebels have. The Sooners had a good year last year, but they will have to replace their QB, and life in the SEC is going to present a much bigger challenge than the Big 12. This isn't a gimme by any means, but it would be surprising if Ole Miss lost this one. The current line favors the Rebels by 6.5 points.
@ LSU
Now this is going to be a tough one for Ole Miss. The Rebels have better odds to win the SEC than LSU does, but going into Death Valley is always an extremely daunting task. There are certainly some question marks surrounding the Tigers after a bit of a disappointing 2023 campaign, but they are expected to be solid this year. It's hard to argue against this being the second hardest game on this Ole Miss football schedule. LSU is currently favored by 2.5 points.
vs. Georgia
It is also hard to argue against this being the most difficult game on the Ole Miss football schedule. Georgia is once again going to be one of the best teams in college football. They have one the top QBs in Carson Beck, and they have the best head coach in the game now in Kirby Smart. The Bulldogs are the favorite in the SEC, and they are the favorite to win the national title. This is going to be a tough one for the Rebels, but they will be at home, and that is going to make a big difference. The line currently favors Georgia by 6.5 points.
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