At No. 6, Ole Miss preseason ranking highest since 1970

• With the four-team playoff expanding to 12 this season, the Rebels are hopeful that they will be in the mix for a spot.

Excitement could not be higher in Oxford as Head Coach Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels head into the 2024 college football season.

The Rebels now rank No. 6 in both the USA Today Coaches Poll and the Preseason Associated Press Top 25 to start their fall campaign.

It is the highest preseason ranking for the Rebels heading into a season since 1970, when they were ranked No. 5 to start the year.

Ole Miss is touted as one of the most talented teams in the nation heading into their August 31st kickoff against Furman. The Rebels finished 11-2 in the 2023 season and ranked No. 9 in both the final Coaches and AP polls – their highest ranking in the final Coaches Poll since 2015 (9th) and highest in the final AP Poll since 1969 (8th).

Ole Miss Athletics announced in May that they had sold out their season tickets, making it the seventh season-ticket sellout in modern Ole Miss football history and the first since 2016. Only select games have single game ticket availability remaining as student ticket sales have also soared.

Returning senior quarterback Jaxson Dart has been listed on a number of preseason watch lists, including the Heisman, Maxwell, Walter Camp, and Davey O’Brien. However, Dart isn’t the only Rebel receiving some preseason love.

Senior defensive end Princely Umanmielen was named to the Chuck Bednarik Award preseason watch list while tight ends Caden Prieskorn and Dae’Quan Wright have been named to the John Mackey Award preseason watch list.

Senior wide receiver Tre Harris was named to the Biletnikoff Award preseason watch list and senior running back Ulysses Bentley IV was named to the Doak Walker Award preseason watch list.  

Junior defensive tackle Walter Nolen joins Dart on the Walter Camp Player of the Year watch list.

Senior kicker Caden Davis was named to the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award preseason watch list.

With the four-team playoff expanding to 12 this season, the Rebels are hopeful that they will be in the mix for a spot at the end of their regular season.

Here’s the full listing of the Preseason AP Top 25 recently on Monday:

1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Oregon
4. Texas
5. Alabama
6. Ole Miss
7. Notre Dame
8. Penn State
9. Michigan
10. Florida State
11. Missouri
12. Utah
13. LSU
14. Clemson
15. Tennessee
16. Oklahoma
17. Oklahoma State
18. Kansas State
19. Miami (FL)
20. Texas A&M
21. Arizona
22. Kansas
23. USC
24. NC State
25. Iowa