Staples: ‘Deep’ SEC will produce five CFP teams in ’24. Ole Miss among them?
Ole Miss is one of five SEC teams On3’s Andy Staples believes will make the expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff in 2024-25.
Staples previously forecasted Ole Miss as a 10-seed facing off at 7-seed Texas in the first round. The Longhorns officially joined the SEC this week.
“Let’s look at how last season ended,” Staples said Wednesday, on his daily ‘Andy Staples On3’ podcast. “There were seven teams that are going to be in the SEC in 2024 in the Top 13 of the College Football Playoff ranking: Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Missouri, LSU and Oklahoma.
“Alabama, Georgia and Texas, from a roster standpoint, are capable of competing for the national title. We think those three teams are going to get in and maybe one of those teams is going to win the SEC.
“Now, there’s some other teams that could be competitive and also compete for the SEC title.”
Ole Miss returns the core of its record-breaking, 11-win team from last season. The Rebels capped the year by dominating fellow playoff contender Penn State in the Peach Bowl.
Leading the way is third-year starting quarterback Jaxson Dart, along with star receivers Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins. Ole Miss also brought back, among others, offensive linemen Jeremy James, Caleb Warren and Micah Pettus, defensive linemen JJ Pegues and Jared Ivey, tight end Caden Prieskorn, safety John Saunders, Jr., and running back Ulysses Bentley, IV.
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The Rebels signed the nation’s No. 3 portal class.
The headliners were Top 10 transfers Walter Nolen (DT, Texas A&M) and Princely Umanmielen (EDGE, Florida).
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“Texas and Ole Miss got good schedule draws and the Ole Miss roster looks good,” Staples said. “Ole Miss would have made it last year in this system. Missouri would have made it.”
The Rebels kick off the season against Furman on August 31 at 6 p.m. CT — the first of four straight non-conference games. Ole Miss opens league play against Kentucky in Oxford September 28 at 11 a.m. CT.
The Rebels will play just one (Georgia in November) of Staples’ five SEC playoff teams. The Bulldogs have won two of the last three national championships and defeated the Rebels by five touchdowns in Athens last season.
“I don’t know if Missouri this year is going to be as good; we know their defense needs to be replenished,” Staples said. “I’m not worried about their offense. They’re a contender.
“Tennessee got a great schedule draw and should be better on offense. Oklahoma and LSU’s schedules are a little bit tougher, but these are programs whose baseline is good, so if some of the breaks go their way, they could be 10-win regular season teams and in the playoff.
“The SEC is very deep right now.”
