Way-too-early Top 25 projections for 2021 college football season

If there is one thing to say about Lane Kiffin’s first season in Oxford, it is that it was always entertaining. Ole Miss finished a perfectly mediocre 5-5 in 2020, capping their season with a takedown of Indiana in the Outback Bowl. Kiffin’s squad will get a bowl bump into the preseason AP Top 25 as a result of their win over the Hoosiers, putting them in the final spot of the rankings ahead of what could be a promising SEC campaign.

Offense was certainly not an issue for the Rebels in 2020, as Matt Corral and crew averaged nearly 40 points per game against an all-Power Five schedule. The problem for Ole Miss was a defense that ranked 117th out of 127 FBS teams in points allowed per game. Given the return of nine starters, the defense should improve with more experience. The sum result could be another couple of wins on the record and contention for a New Year’s Six spot.

The Rebels open 2021 with a neutral-site game against Louisville in Atlanta. Ole Miss also faces Tulane and Liberty out of conference along with FCS Austin Peay. In a huge bit of luck, the Rebels avoid both Georgia and Florida in interdivisional play during the regular season. The luck wasn’t absolute, though, as Ole Miss has to hit the road against both Alabama and Auburn — though they do get both Texas A&M and LSU at home next year.