Greg McElroy gives chances that Ole Miss is a top-three team in the SEC

Ole Miss certainly makes a case as an offseason winner, which is why expectations are high for next season in The ‘Sip. Greg McElroy agrees with those thoughts based on how he is viewing the Rebels going into the fall.

Out of 10, McElroy put it at a seven that Ole Miss would be top-three in the Southeastern Conference. That labels it as likely to him in 2024 with how his rating worked.

“I’m going to say the probability is a seven,” said McElroy on ‘Always College Football’.

“Now, like I said, 10 is a lock. Nine – highly likely, eight – very likely,” McElroy explained. “Seven? Likely. I think it’s likely that they’re a top-three team in the SEC.”

That would rank them somewhere in the range of fourth through sixth in the league for McElroy. He still has three teams ahead of them for now with Ole Miss being in that category below

“Top-three in the SEC? A top-three that I think is probably going to be determined by Alabama and Georgia, who are likely going to be in the top-three. Then you have Texas – likely going to be in the top-three,” McElroy read off. “Then you have the outsiders of those top-three that could make a move, whether it’s Tennessee, Missouri, Ole Miss. I think those three teams are kind of vying to offset one of those top-three teams that is established and maybe knock them down a rank.”

Much of that case for McElroy has to do with Ole Miss’ slate of games. They only team that’d be considered among the best nationally going into the year that they’ll face is Georgia. However, they’ll be getting that matchup with the Bulldogs inside Vaught-Hemingway late in the year.

There are obviously challenges just with the nature of being in the SEC. It’s just not as challenging as it has been in year’s part for Lane Kiffin and the Rebels. That’s especially so now that they’re out of the SEC West.

“One thing we have acknowledged? Look at the schedule. The schedule is manageable, relatively speaking. That’s where I think a lot of people are becoming very bullish about Ole Miss,” McElroy noted. “Very manageable schedule. A couple of teams that have been on the schedule for quite a while roll off.”

“What we haven’t seen from Lane Kiffin is the ability to win those games against top-tier competition. They’ve been competitive at times, they’ve had the ball in their court a couple times but they haven’t quite been able to get over the hump against the top teams in the sport,” said McElroy. “Now, you look at their schedule, there’s not a ton of those top teams in the sport that’s on that Ole Miss schedule.”

Ole Miss has also constructed a team that is worthy of being a contender in the country. They bring back QB Jaxson Dart, RB Ulysses Bentley IV, WRs Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins, and TE Caden Prieskorn along with three starting linemen on an offense that ranked in the Top-20 in ’23. DE Jared Ivey, DT JJ Pegues, and LB Khari Coleman will also be returning for the defense.

That’s before you include the No. 3 portal class with 20 additions. Many of those will be impact players coming in from their previous programs.

All that comes together to set a belief that Ole Miss could make their first-ever College Football Playoff.

“I think you’re looking at a strong possibility that Ole Miss is in the playoff conversation at season’s end,” said McElroy. “A top-three team in the SEC is a lock to get in the playoff. I think Ole Miss will be right there.”

“I think they’re right now in the contender category, believe it or not,” McElroy said.

Kiffin and the Rebels still must go out there and prove it, especially since interest in them has been there before in year’s past that they didn’t meet. Still, after coming off an all-time season at 11-2 and with what they did over the past few months, the opportunity is there for them to compete unlike any level that they’ve been able to before.

“I think it’s likely but I’m going to put it at seven because I just haven’t seen Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss knock off one of those contenders in his time at Ole Miss up to this point,” said McElroy. “This might be his best roster and this might be his best chance to really break down the door and do something really special there in Oxford, Mississippi.”