Kentucky vs. Ole Miss: National Media Predictions

MrsTylerKSR

Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops (left) and Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin (right) talk prior tot the game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Kentucky can change the trajectory of its season with a win Saturday at Ole Miss. The Rebels are ranked No. 6 in the AP Poll and have the No. 1 offense in the country, outscoring their opponents 220-22 through four games. The Cats are a significant step up in competition, but can Kentucky’s elite defense slow down the high-flying Rebels?

Some of the KSR staff think so. The national media? Not so much. No one is picking the Cats to upset the Rebels, but some experts do believe Kentucky will cover the spread. After sitting at -17.5 Ole Miss most of the week, the spread moved to -15.5 overnight.

ESPN Matchup Predictor

ESPN’s Bill Connelly/SP+ Ratings

Kentucky at No. 6 Ole Miss (noon, ABC). Kentucky has primarily won the ground battle but lost the air battle in 2024. Ole Miss currently ranks first in rushing success rate allowed on defense and first in passing success rate on offense. That seems like a pretty upset-unfriendly combination. Of course, per SP+, the Wildcats are the first top-80 team the Rebels have faced.

Current line: Rebels -17.5 | SP+ projection: Rebels by 20.0 | FPI projection: Rebels by 20.5

Scott VanPelt: Kentucky +17.5

“Taking Kentucky plus a big number. That’s an early kick-off in Oxford. Folks a little foggy, little bleary-eyed in the Grove. Cats to hang in there against a great Ole Miss offense.”

CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello

Kentucky should – should — slow Ole Miss’ record-breaking scoring pace after the Rebels played a litany of overmatched opponents to open the season, but will it be enough? Oh, absolutely not. Jaxson Dart is performing like no other quarterback in Ole Miss history, completing nearly 80% of his throws while averaging 388.5 yards per game. Kentucky’s defense is great, ranking sixth in the FBS in yardage allowed (217), and though the showing two weeks against Georgia may tempt many to pick the Wildcats to cover against Ole Miss, remember that the Wildcats are on the road for the first time this season. That spells trouble for the C-A-T-S and their anemic offense.

Pick: Ole Miss -15.5

CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm

Kentucky at No. 6 Ole Miss (-17.5): Kentucky’s defense has done a reasonably good job this season, even holding the mighty Georgia Bulldogs to just 13 points. However, the one team to unlock them was South Carolina, which scored 31 points. Regardless, all of their previous games have been at home. I do not expect the Wildcats to have much luck on either side of the ball against the high flying Rebels.

Pick: Ole Miss -17.5

CBS Sports staff

Against The Spread:

Straight Up:

The Sporting News’ Bill Bender

Will Kentucky be the team to slow down the Ole Miss offense? The Rebels have won the last two meetings by scores of 42-41 in 2020 and 20-19 in 2022. Jaxson Dart leads the nation in passing yards (389 per game) and passer rating (219.4). The Rebels are 4-0 ATS this season, but the Wildcats are 7-7 ATS as a road underdog under Mark Stoops since 2000. This is Kentucky’s first road game this season.

Pick: Ole Miss wins 35-16 and COVERS the spread (-17.5)

New York Post’s Howie Kussoy

Kentucky (+17.5) over OLE MISS: The Rebels’ annual soft non-conference schedule doesn’t help come fall. Ole Miss hasn’t covered an SEC-opener since 2019. Its past two meetings against Kentucky have been decided by a total of four points.

Athlon Sports’ Steven Lassan and Dan Lyons

Lassan: This is the first real test for Ole Miss. Can the Rebels’ high-powered offense stay on track against Kentucky’s standout defense?
Prediction: Ole Miss 41, Kentucky 17

Lyons: Kentucky’s a bit of a mystery, after getting blown out by South Carolina and then giving Georgia all it could handle in back-to-back weeks. Ole Miss may have the best offense in the country, and while it hasn’t faced an SEC opponent yet, the Wildcats don’t have the firepower to keep up.
Prediction: Ole Miss 45, Kentucky 19

USA Today staff

SEC Mike and Cousin Shane

Kentucky vs. Ole Miss: How To Watch, Listen

Kickoff: 12:00 p.m. ET
TV: ABC (Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath)
Watch college football games live – try Fubo for free! Click HERE NOW.
Local Radio: UK Sports Network (Tom Leach, Jeff Piecoro, Dick Gabriel)
AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
FM: 98.1 WBUL
Online: iHeart Radio
Sirius XM: 374 (UK); 106 or 190 (Ole Miss)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

You can also keep up with the game and chat with other fans on our game thread on KSBoard, with Nick Roush and Adam Luckett providing updates from Oxford and the rest of us from home.