Sam Avellone
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Coach Lane Kiffin enters his third season in Oxford, but the Rebels will look quite different than they did last year. With ample roster turnover in addition to the loss of offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby and co-defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin, can Kiffin and new offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. lead the Rebels back to a New Year’s 6 Bowl game? The 2022 college football season is just a couple weeks away, so it is time to analyze the Ole Miss Rebels.
Jared Smith has a HUGE 3-unit futures play for the upcoming college football season!
Ole Miss Rebels 2022 college football season odds
Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
Ole Miss National Championship odds
The Rebels are 100/1 to win the National Championship. They have the same odds as Baylor, Penn State and Tennessee.
Ole Miss Rebels SEC Championship odds
Ole Miss is 50/1 to win the SEC. The Rebels have the same odds as Tennessee to win the conference and sit behind Alabama (-145), Georgia (+155), Texas A&M (+1800) and Florida (+4500).
Ole Miss Rebels SEC West odds
The Rebels are the third-favorites to win the SEC West at 20/1. Only Alabama (-600) and Texas A&M (+700) have better odds.
Ole Miss Rebels 2021 season recap
The Rebels won 10 games for the first time in program history last season. Quarterback Matt Corral was the leader of the offense, as he threw for 3,349 yards and 20 touchdowns with just 5 interceptions and a completion percentage of nearly 68%. Corral also was the third-leading rusher for Ole Miss, accumulating 633 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. Accompanying Corral in the backfield were running backs Jerrion Ealy, Snoop Conner and Henry Parrish, Jr – who combined for 2,441 total yards and 23 total touchdowns. Leading the wide receiver group was Dontario Drummond, who caught 76 passes for 1,028 yards and 8 touchdowns, but there was a drop-off in production behind him.
Jahcour Pearson and Bryalon Sanders were the second and third-leading non-running back pass catchers but combined for just 50 receptions, 941 yards, and 4 touchdowns. As a unit, the Rebels averaged 32 points per game – which ranked 29th in college football just behind North Carolina State – and scored 21 or fewer points just twice during the regular season. Defensively, the Rebels ranked 49th in opponent points per game and allowed just 5 opponents to score more than 21 points. Maryland transfer Chance Campbell led the defense with 109 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and 6 sacks, while dominant edge rusher Sam Williams added 57 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and 12.5 sacks.
Ole Miss Rebels 2022 college football season predictions
In addition to replacing their offensive coordinator and co-defensive coordinator, the Rebels will have to replace most of their talented pieces from last season as Corral, Ealy, Conner, Drummond, Sanders, Campbell, and Williams all entered the NFL Draft, while Parrish Jr. transferred to Miami (FL) and Pearson graduated. There is an ongoing quarterback battle in Oxford as USC transfer Jaxson Dart and Luke Altmyer (both true sophomores) compete to replace Corral, but their transition to being a starting quarterback in the SEC should be smoothed over by the return of an experienced offensive line. Dart seems to be the frontrunner to win the job as of now, as he possesses the ability to run the ball similar to the way Corral did.
Whoever wins the job, the starting quarterback will have two talented running backs with him in the backfield in TCU transfer Zach Evans and SMU transfer Ulysses Bently IV. The duo combined for 2,622 rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns at their previous schools and will look to build on that success with their new team. With their three top wide receivers from last season gone, the Rebels will lean on senior Jonathan Mingo, who played just 6 games last season due to injury. Louisville transfer Jordan Watkins and UCF transfer Jaylon Robinson should help take the pressure off Mingo and give the Rebels big-play abilities all over the field. There is a reason for optimism around the offense, but slight regression is likely considering the amount of turnover on this side of the ball.
Despite the loss of Williams and Campbell, the Ole Miss defense is in better shape than the offense in terms of replacing top talent and should maintain a top 50 ranking. To help fill the void of Williams and Campbell, Kiffin brought in All-MAC linebacker Troy Brown from Central Michigan, Auburn defensive tackle JJ Peguies, and Georgia Tech defensive end Jared Ivey. The three newcomers will join forces with Cedric Johnson and Tavius Robinson – who combined for 10 sacks in 2021 – and should make immediate impacts across the Ole Miss front 7.
The Rebels’ secondary will be strong with all of its top pieces returning in 2022. Safeties Otis Reese and A.J. Finley will start after combining for 181 tackles last season while Miles Battle and Tysheem Johnson step into bigger roles with increased expectations. Iowa State transfer Isheem Young joins this experienced bunch after posting 55 tackles and 2 interceptions in the Big 12 last season. This bunch could give opposing wide receivers nightmares all season long.
Read our College Football National Championship preview, including a +8000 longshot!
Best Bet: Ole Miss Rebels over 7.5 regulars season wins (-145)
Despite quite a bit of turnover on offense, the Rebels still have the pieces to win 8 or more games this season. The defense will be a strength, and the schedule is forgiving – especially early in the season. Ole Miss could very well start the season 4-0 with 3 home games against Troy, Central Arkansas, and Tulsa and 1 road game against Georgia Tech in Week 3. The Rebels then host Kentucky in Oxford and travel to Nashville to play Vanderbilt before hosting Auburn in Weeks 5 through 7. All of these games are winnable for Ole Miss.
Back-to-back road games at LSU and Texas A&M will be challenging, but the Rebels get the benefit of a bye week before hosting Alabama on November 12th. After their date with the Crimson Tide, the Rebels will finish the season with a road game at Arkansas and a home game against in-state rival Mississippi State. I currently have Ole Miss penciled in for 9 wins thanks to a stout defense, a veteran offensive line, and a strong rushing attack. Take the over.
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