NCAAF Pick: Ole Miss Under 7½ Wins (-105) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
The Ole Miss Rebels have Alabama and Georgia on the road this season. How much will that hurt their chances of earning at least eight wins?
Let’s analyze the NCAAF futures at the top offshore sportsbooks and preview what to expect from Ole Miss in the SEC and the regular season.
Key Facts
- Ole Miss plays five teams in the preseason top 25 this season.
- The Rebels haven’t confirmed a starting quarterback yet.
- Ole Miss must play Georgia and Alabama on the road this year.
Can Ole Miss Take A Leap in 2023?
The Ole Miss Rebels went 8-5 overall last season. They finished 4-4 in the SEC but have added the third-most overall wins in the last three seasons in the SEC, behind Alabama and Georgia.
Ole Miss will always be competitive. But they’ve struggled to stay consistently good in an entire season.
Trust the Process?
When Lane Kiffin took over, everyone knew Ole Miss was in good hands. He maybe hasn’t exceeded expectations. But he’s helped keep Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff hunt yearly.
This year’s team has a lot of question marks but also a lot of talent. Ole Miss went crazy in the transfer portal. Therefore, it’ll be a little bit harder to assess the team. But we’ll do our best.
The Offense
Is Spencer Sanders The Answer?
The Ole Miss Rebels pump out great quarterbacks. They were 8th in the nation in yards per game and now have three ready quarterbacks trying to earn the starting spot.
Jaxson Dart came from USC and did a terrific job for Ole Miss. But Spencer Sanders came from Oklahoma State, thinking he’ll be able to win the job against Dart by Week 1.
Workhorse
Whoever the Rebels decide will be a good selection and lead the offense to another significant season. The starting running back won’t change. That’ll be Quinshon Judkins, who added over 1,500 yards in his freshman season with 16 touchdowns. He’ll play with Ulysses Bentley, who transferred from SMU and was banged up for most of last season.
Meanwhile, Jordan Watkins and Dayton Wade returned from last year’s team at wide receiver. However, Malik Heath and Jonathan Mingo are now in the NFL. But the additions of Chris Marshall from Texas A&M, Tre Harris from Louisiana Tech, and Zakhari Franklin from UTSA should help the room’s depth.
The Defense
Help Is On The Way!
The defense can be better. The pass rush did its part, and now we have Joshua Harris from North Carolina State, which should help the bunch even more.
The linebacker group added Monty Montgomery from Louisville and will return Khari Coleman. Those two should help with getting into the backfield.
Air Attack
However, the secondary is where the improvements need to come. They added eight interceptions throughout the year and had just two in their last six games.
Once Ole Miss played in the SEC every week, the turnovers from the secondary never came at a solid pace.
Ole Miss added Zamari Walton from Georgia Tech, Teja Young from Florida Atlantic, and John Saunders Jr. from Miami University in the transfer portal. We’ll see if any of those guys can step up and build momentum for the defense and their takeaways.
Will Ole Miss Earn 8 Wins?
The Ole Miss Rebels will face Mercer to begin their season. That’s a win, but then they’ll face Tulane on the road, which could be tricky. This could be a trap game early for the Rebels, with Tulane also in the preseason top 25.
At 1-1 on the year, Ole Miss should earn a win over Georgia Tech, but they’ll lose back-to-back games against Alabama (Week 4) and LSU (Week 5).
Ole Miss would be 2-3 through five games. They’ll likely earn a win at home against Arkansas and should escape Auburn, in Week 8, on the road. They’d be 4-3 with a game against Vanderbilt at home. Chalk that one up as a win.
They’ll also get a home game against Texas A&M in Week 11. I’d give Ole Miss that one too.
The Pick
They’d be 5-3 with a road game against Georgia. That’s a loss, but at 5-4, they’d defeat LA-Monroe and then should defeat Miss State, even on the road.
At best, Ole Miss earns seven wins. Take the Under 7½ Wins at -105 for your NCAAF picks.
NCAAF Pick: Ole Miss Under 7½ Wins (-105) at BetOnline
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