Ole Miss Football: 3 reasons Rebels will make surprise playoff push in 2022

Ole Miss football has the talent to replicate its 2021 success, and then some. Here’s why the Rebels will make a playoff push in 2022.

Lane Kiffin is building something special in Oxford. The third-year Ole Miss football coach is fresh off a 10-win season and the Rebels are projected to contend in the SEC in 2022.

But with Matt Corral and Sam Williams gone, that won’t be the easiest of tasks.

Still, I believe that the Rebels have what it takes to make a push in the SEC and maybe even surprise some people with a playoff berth.

Here’s why Ole Miss might just make the playoff this year.

3. Confidence built from hot start

Sometimes hot starts can really lead a team to greatness. On occasion, a hot start to a season can really lead a team to some late-season glory and Ole Miss might just be a beneficiary of this.

The Rebels begin their season with a favorable slate from Sept. 3 all the way through Oct. 15. In fact, Ole Miss is probably a lock to start the season 7-0 heading into a road game against LSU who may be in rebuilding mode under Brian Kelly after a 6-7 record in 2021.

Ole Miss has a tough end to the season with road games against LSU, Texas A&M, and Arkansas with Alabama and Mississippi State mixed in. There’s a real chance all of those games could result in losses, but realistically, the Rebels could pull off a home upset of Alabama and take two out of three of the road games and still be in a position to make the playoff.

Building confidence from a 7-0 start is only going to help in this final stretch of games and it’s going to help them have a fighting chance at a playoff berth.