Ole Miss Football: High-flying offense looks to carry the Rebels in 2021

How will Ole Miss football fare in 2021?

As far as SEC schedules go, Ole Miss has one of the more manageable ones in the conference. Their crossover games from the East division are Vanderbilt and Tennessee, both expected to be subpar this season.

They also get Texas A&M and LSU at home, which could set up nicely for Ole Miss to pull a couple of upsets and with enough defensive improvement, maybe make a run at second place in the West.

• Game 1: vs. Louisville (W) — The Rebels start the season with a primetime Labor Day showdown against Louisville and I think Ole Miss will be able to outscore the Cardinals.
• Game 2: Austin Peay (W) — The Rebels may set all kinds of school records in this blowout win over Austin Peay.
• Game 3: Tulane (W) — Tulane is always a tough opponent under Willie Fritz, but they don’t have the defense to hold up in this game.
• Game 4: at Alabama (L) — The Rebels gave Alabama all they could handle last season and they have two weeks to prepare for this one. I still don’t think Ole Miss will have enough to upset Alabama however, but expect an entertaining game.
• Game 5: Arkansas (W) — The Razorbacks surprised everyone by winning some games last season and they bring back a lot of starters, but Ole Miss is the better team.
• Game 6: at Tennessee (W) — Tennessee is going to reset their program again and won’t have the talent to win games like these.
• Game 7: LSU (L) — Last year’s game was a classic and this one should be entertaining as well and I think LSU is bouncing back in a big way this season.
• Game 8: at Auburn (W) — I don’t know what to expect from Auburn this season, but Ole Miss is going to be plenty motivated after how last season’s game with the Tigers ended.
• Game 9: Liberty (W) — Ole Miss does not need to take Liberty lightly this season, but I like the Rebels in a shootout.
• Game 10: Texas A&M (L) — The Aggies are thought to be Alabama’s main challenger in the West and I think the Rebels can win this game, but I trust the Aggies’ defense more.
• Game 11: Vanderbilt (W) — The Commodores are going through a rebuild and won’t offer much resistance against Ole Miss.
• Game 12: at Mississippi State (W) — The Egg Bowl is one of the best rivalries in all of college football and I think Kiffin makes it 2-0 versus Mike Leach.

Prediction: 9-3, 5-3 SEC

I’m high on the Rebels this season because I believe in Kiffin as a coach and this offense can hang with anyone. If Corral can cut down on the turnovers and the defense is just average, watch out for this team this season.