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SEC Football Preview: Five biggest questions for 2015

By Jonathan Adams

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Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

5. Will the real Ole Miss stand up?

In 2011, Ole Miss went 2-10 and went winless in the SEC. They were a guaranteed win for every SEC opponent. Head Coach Hugh Freeze entered the picture and the Rebels went 7-6 in 2012. Freeze began doing what many people thought was impossible in the modern college football era. He began bringing talent to Oxford, Mississippi.

Ole Miss found themselves at the top of recruiting rankings each offseason. Now, these top recruiting classes are becoming juniors and seniors. We saw glimpses of this last season.

What is so puzzling is how different the 2014 season started and finished for Ole Miss. The Rebels won their first seven games including a signature win against Alabama. Then they lost 10-7 against LSU and the season began to unravel from there. They lost both the Auburn game and their star receiver, Laquon Treadwell, on the same play. A play that would come to symbolize the second half of their season. The crescendo happened at the Georgia Dome where they were trounced by TCU 42-3.

All this brings us to 2015 where the same thing is quite capable of happening again. Their final four games are against Auburn, Arkansas, LSU and Mississippi State. While we don’t know exactly what to expect from each of these teams, most if not all project to have good seasons.

The first half of 2014 showed what is capable of Ole Miss. They return what could be the best defense in the country. If the quarterback position can be solved, Ole Miss very well could be in the conversation for the College Football Playoff. If they under-perform in the second half of their schedule, it will look very similar to 2014.

Next: 50 Greatest College Football Rivalries of All-Time

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