By Matt Smith
SouthernPigskin.com

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Ole Miss must get off to a quick start if it has hopes of winning the SEC West.

Head Coach: Hugh Freeze 3 fifth year at Ole Miss, sixth year overall (44-20 overall, 17-15 SEC)

Offensive Coordinator: Dan Werner and Matt Luke (fifth season)

Defensive Coordinator: Dave Wommack (fifth season)

2015 Record: 10-3 (6-2 SEC); defeated Oklahoma State in Sugar Bowl

Returning Starters: 10 (5 offense, 5 defense)

2016 Schedule

Sept. 5 3 vs. Florida State (Orlando) (8 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Sept. 10 3 WOFFORD (4 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Sept. 17 3 ALABAMA (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)
Sept. 24 3 GEORGIA

Oct. 1 3 MEMPHIS
Oct. 15 3 at Arkansas
Oct. 22 3 at LSU
Oct. 29 3 AUBURN

Nov. 5 3 GEORGIA SOUTHERN
Nov. 12 3 at Texas A&M
Nov. 19 3 at Vanderbilt
Nov. 26 3 MISSISSIPPI STATE

What We Know

– Unlike most of the SEC, the Rebels have no concerns under center. Chad Kelly might not be the best quarterback in the country (although he believes he is), but hes not much behind the likes of Clemsons Deshaun Watson and Oklahomas Baker Mayfield. Kelly racked up 4,500 yards of total offense last season, but now faces life after Laremy Tunsil and Laquon Treadwell. The expectation is that he wont miss a beat, and if Ole Miss wins enough games, a Heisman Trophy is not out of the question.

– The pass rush will be fine. Despite sometimes taking a backseat in the publicity department to fellow SEC defensive ends like Texas A&Ms Myles Garrett and Tennessees Derek Barnett, Marquis Haynes deserves to be in the thick of that conversation. The junior recorded 10 sacks last season and will again be a force off of the edge. Veterans Fadol Brown and D.J. Jones will be in the backfield frequently as well. The Rebels wont match the Freeze-era high of 38 sacks in 2012, but could top last years mark of 29.

– The pass defense will be better. Losing hybrid safety Tony Conner after only five games last season was crushing. There was experience in the secondary, but not the raw talent that Conner possesses. Conner is healthy now, and the Rebels also have both starting cornerbacks returning in Tony Bridges and Kendarius Webster. A player to watch out for? True freshman safety Deontay Anderson, who spurned a number of schools in his home state of Texas to come to Oxford and announced his commitment to Ole Miss by skydiving.

What We Dont Know

– Can Ole Miss find a running game outside of Kelly? Jaylen Walton wasnt an elite running back, but he was good for an occasional game-changing big play. The Rebels havent had a workhorse back under Freeze, and there doesnt appear to be one on the roster. Theres experience, with two players who had 70-plus carries last year in Akeem Judd and Jordan Wilkins, but both are best as complementary backs. As risky a proposition as it is, Kelly may need to get 10 carries per game.

– How badly will the three first-round NFL Draft picks be missed? Sophomore Breeland Speaks might not turn in the dominant performances that Robert Nkemdiche could have (see last years Alabama game), but Speaks may turn out to be more consistent than the sometimes flaky defensive tackle. Quincy Adeboyejo is the leading returning receiver, but its junior Damoreea Stringfellow who has the physical gifts to be the next Treadwell. Tunsil will be the most difficult to replace, as the Rebels are asking true freshman Greg Little to step in at left tackle in the SEC

– Can the Rebels survive a September gauntlet? With Florida State and Alabama in the first three weeks, a split, preferably with the conference game being the win, could set the Rebels up for another big season. The final five games arent bad at all, but with Georgia, Arkansas and LSU all in a four-game stretch following the Alabama game, Ole Miss has to start fast. Get through the first month at 3-1, and the Rebels will be sitting pretty for their first 10-win regular season in school history.

X-Factor

Little 3 Its an arduous task to play left tackle in the SEC, even for a senior. As a true freshman, you have to be special. Tunsil and Alabamas Cam Robinson have done it, and Little appears to have all the tools to hold up against the conferences elite pass rushers. But its more than just technique and quickness. Little has to be mentally tough enough to be able to shake off allowing a sack or a hurry, which are inevitable. If Little breaks, the Ole Miss offense might along with him.

Ranking The Units

1. Quarterbacks

2. Defensive Backs

3. Defensive Line

4. Wide Receivers

5. Linebackers

6. Offensive Line

7. Running Backs

Season Prediction

September will be too much for this team, even with one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Florida State and Alabama take down the Rebels, but as it did last year, Ole Miss will rally with a strong close to the season. A humbling loss at Arkansas will be followed by a monumental upset of 7-0 LSU in Baton Rouge, the first of six straight wins for the Rebels to end the season. A second straight New Years in New Orleans looms for Ole Miss 3 this time against a much more formidable opponent than Oklahoma State was last season.

Overall Record: 9-3

SEC Record: 6-2

Final CFP Ranking: 10

Bowl: Sugar Bowl vs. Oklahoma