Preview: The 2016 Ole Miss Football Season + Predictions of SEC/Playoff

Different Team, Similar Expectations

The construction on Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is very close to a conclusion.

This Ole Miss football team is the hardest one to predict in my opinion. While being loaded with talent, the Rebels lost their big 3(Nkemdiche, Treadwell, and Tunsil) to the NFl, and Ole Miss has the second-hardest schedule in all of College Football according to ESPN FPI, Bleacher Report, and many other sites. This team has the firepower to beat every team on its schedule, but on the flip side, the teams the Rebels will face have almost as much if not more firepower to do the same. So, what I am saying is...it should be one interesting year to say the least.

Week 1: No. 4 Florida State (Neutral Cite - Orlando, FL)

Ole Miss gets perhaps its tallest task of the entire season on September 5th. The fact that this is a "neutral cite" is quite laughable since the game is in Florida, but I expect Rebel Nation to travel fairly well. This is supposed to be Florida State's big year because they return all 11 starters on their offense, one of those players being Heisman-hopeful RB Dalvin Cook. I have mixed feelings about this game, but honestly, I really have no clue how we stack up against these guys. I say Florida State gets a late touchdown to win a very good football game.

FINAL: No. 12 Ole Miss 31, N0. 4 FSU 35. (0-1)

Week 2: vs Wofford (Oxford, MS)

The cause for excitement in this game is that it is the Rebel's home-opener in the MUCH improved Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The stadium expanded to 64,038 capacity, a number which was necessary to bowl in the north endzone. Additionally, the Vaught added a new scoreboard which is noticeably bigger, the turf was changed to grass, and the sound system is new and improved with speakers planted throughout the stadium and not just coming out of the JumboTron. This game should be a good game to get young players in there and to see what they can do.

FINAL: No. 12 Ole Miss 59, Wofford 10. (1-1)

Week 3: No. 1 Alabama (Oxford, MS)

This game is going to be fun no matter what happens the first two weeks of the season. College Gameday will probably be back in the Grove, it's already scheduled as a 2:30 CBS game, and Ole Miss is looking to make it THREE straight on the Crimson Tide. Now, I never pick the Rebels to beat the Tide, but that is going to change this year. Obviously, I think the most talented team in the country will hang in there. It will be a close game. The atmosphere will be amazing. I think the Rebels will feed off of the gameday atmosphere and Rebel Nation, and I think Ole Miss scores a late touchdown to win the game, similar to 2014.

FINAL: No. 12 Ole Miss 26, No. 1 Alabama 23. (2-1)

Week 4: No. 16 Georgia (Oxford, MS)

Thankfully, Ole Miss' next test comes into Oxford, but nevertheless, it will be a tough out for the Rebels. At this point, Georgia should have their starting QB, and I think that guy will be True-Freshman Jacob Eason. He was the #2 QB in the country behind Ole Miss' Shea Patterson, and this guy is big and has a great arm. I think Ole Miss will play a great game versus a quality team, and that should be a Freshman QB's first hard road test. 

FINAL: No. 12 Ole Miss 34, No. 16 Georgia 24. (3-1)

Week 5: Memphis (Oxford, MS)

Forget last year. It sucked. It's hard to forget. I live in Memphis. My school was playing the Memphis Fight Song on the intercom throughout the halls. It was horrible. I think we are going to win BIG. Ole Miss will not look over Memphis this year. We will be highly motivated for this one.

FINAL: N0. 12 Ole Miss 42, Memphis 24. (4-1)

Week 6: BYE

Week 7: at Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR)

Arkansas is a team that Ole Miss cannot seem to figure out. Similar to what I said with the Alabama game...I never pick Ole Miss over the Tide until this year, and I am now picking the Razorbacks over Ole Miss for the first time. Last year, I said Ole Miss would beat Arkansas by a large margin after having lost 30-0. We lost in the most heartbreaking way possible. We all remember. It was lucky...yeah. But they took our first bid to Atlanta away. I think they will win a fairly close one at home.

FINAL: No. 12 Ole Miss 23, Arkansas 31. (4-2)

Week 8: at LSU (Baton Rouge, LA)

After kicking their butt last year, those tigers are hungry for Ole Miss to come to Death Valley. I think it will be a very good game. Probably one of the best games of the year. College Gameday could likely be there. Night games in Death Valley are scary. I think LSU gets their revenge, and the Rebels suffer their second straight loss.

FINAL: No. 12 Ole Miss 21, N0. 6 LSU 24. (4-3)

Week 9: Auburn (Oxford, MS)

Nobody ever knows how good Auburn is going to be. I will tell you one thing. They have a buttload of talent. Their D-Line is scary. That JUCO QB that just came in, John Franklin III, sounds like he is going to be something special. Reminder: the last two times Auburn had a first-year former JUCO starting QB...they made the National Championship BOTH times(Cam Newton, Nick Marshall). Having said all of that, I think Ole Miss will come off two straight losses highly motivated and ready to win one in front of our home crowd. 

FINAL: No. 12 Ole Miss 35, Auburn 21. (5-3)

Week 10: Georgia Southern (Oxford, MS)

This Georgia Southern team is NOT bad. They took Georgia to OT last year in Athens. They made a bowl game. They are not bad. Nevertheless, we are not bad either. We will win, but not by as much as a Wofford, per se.

FINAL: No. 12 Ole Miss 45, Georgia Southern 21. (6-3)

Week 11: at Texas A&M (College Station, TX)

From top to bottom, you could argue that Texas A&M has one of the most talented rosters in not only the SEC, but the country. Also, you could argue that Kyle Field is one of the most difficult places to play in not only the SEC, but the country. During the first portion of the past two seasons, the Aggies have climbed up in the rankings and gained so much hype. For this season, I am not buying it until I see it with my own two eyes. I think A&M hangs in there for a little while, but the Rebels pull away in the second half.

FINAL: No. 12 Ole Miss 38, Texas A&M 27. (7-3)

Week 12: at Vanderbilt (Nashville, TN)

This has the feel of a trap game to me, so it scares me a little. It would be easy for Ole Miss to look ahead to the Egg Bowl the next week and look over an inferior opponent in Vanderbilt, but the Commodores have gotten better and are looking for a big win to capture people's attention. Vanderbilt will have their home crowd behind them and want this one. In the end, I think Ole Miss overcomes all of it and wins a tough, battled-out game.

FINAL: No. 12 Ole Miss 24, Vanderbilt 14. (8-3)

Week 13: The Egg Bowl (Location: Flagship University)

I can assure you Ole Miss will not be looking over this Mississippi State team, no matter if they suck or are 11-0 coming into this game. Ole Miss will be highly motivated to keep the Egg where it belongs, right here in Oxford. On the flip side, State will come into this game wanting to get revenge for the past two years, and in my opinion, they will not do it. Ole Miss will come out firing, and it will be a similar game to last year.

FINAL: No. 12 Ole Miss 41, Mississippi State 27. (9-3)

A 9-3 season for the Rebels would be a good season. We lose the "Big Three", and we get 9 wins out of the second hardest schedule College Football has to offer. With the talent on this team, we can beat any squad that we see this year, but winning every game in the SEC just is not realistic. On a different note, I think Ole Miss fans should see this: there is no reason to worry about this NCAA investigation. Why? Because us fans have NO control over it. So why worry about it? What is the point? There is no point to it. Let's be happy that football season is upon us and that we will have a very awesome group to watch every Saturday!

SEC Predictions:

West:

Alabama(11-1, 7-1 SEC)

LSU(10-2, 6-2 SEC)

Ole Miss(9-3, 6-2 SEC)

Texas A&M(8-4, 4-4 SEC)

Auburn(7-5, 4-4 SEC)

Mississippi State(7-5, 3-5 SEC)

Arkansas: 6-6(3-5 SEC)

East:

Tennessee(11-1, 7-1 SEC)

Florida(8-4, 5-3 SEC)

Georgia(9-3, 5-3 SEC)

Kentucky(6-6, 3-5 SEC)

Vanderbilt(5-7, 2-6 SEC)

South Carolina(4-8, 1-7 SEC)

Missouri(3-9, 0-8 SEC)

SEC Champion: Alabama

FINAL: No. 1 Alabama 27, No. 10 Tennessee 20.

Playoff Predictions: 

(1) Florida State - 13-0

(2) Alabama - 12-1

(3) Oklahoma - 12-1

(4) Ohio State - 12-1

National Champion: Alabama

Taking a Look at the Oxford Regional

Oxford Regional is No Cakewalk for the Rebels

Ole Miss was heading into Selection Monday confident in getting the 8 seed and hosting a Super Regional, but the committee disagreed. Many Ole Miss fans were upset with LSU's getting a national seed because the Rebels beat them head to head and have a higher RPI. Those are arguably two of the greatest factors in getting a national seed. Rebel fans were also upset with being paired with 3-seeded Miami when Ole Miss was one of the teams highly considered for a national seed. 

Nevertheless, Ole Miss is hosting a regional just as we all knew would happen. What we did not know was what three teams would be heading to Oxford. Now, we know. The two seed is Tulane, the three seed is Boston College, and the four seed is Utah. 

Here's a quick look at some stats of all four teams:

#21 Tulane is a dangerous team. They won their conference, and they have wins over LSU and USM. Let me remind you...USM split the season series with Ole Miss, and LSU is a national seed. Tulane is for real. They can play baseball down there, and we will have to be on our A game in order to beat the Green Wave. Also, Boston College will not be afraid of the Rebels. This team is in the ACC and has been playing top 25 RPI teams all season long. This is nothing new for them. Lastly, Utah is just coming off winning the PAC-12 conference title, and they are a force to be reckoned with right now. The Rebels have the upper hand, but if they make some errors and do not do their job, Utah can make some noise.

The first game is between Tulane and Boston College at Swayze on Friday, June 3rd, at 3:00 PM CT. Ole Miss vs. Utah will follow at 7:00 PM CT. We will need Swayze PACKED this weekend. That is very key. So, let's ROCK Swayze and go into Miami, FL, with a chip on our shoulder and ready to complete the "Road to Omaha".

My prediction: Ole Miss wins the regional, but they lose 2/3 to Miami.

Recap: No. 10 Ole Miss vs. Georgia (SEC Baseball Tournament)

Timely Hits Thrust Rebels to Convincing Victory

Sophomore 2B Tate Blackman is congratulated after having crossed home plate.

Junior ace Brady Bramlett got the start today for the No. 10 Ole Miss Rebels against the Georgia Bulldogs, a team with its backs against the wall for an unlikely NCAA Tournament bid. After two quick outs, Georgia was on the board with a crushed solo home run. After having given up a few other hits in the top of the first inning, Coach Bianco walked to the mound to have a word with Bramlett, and nothing was the same from then on. Bramlett would end that inning harmlessly and put three more strong innings together. 

Redshirt Freshman Brady Feigl came in the top of the fifth, and he was dealing. After having retired batter after batter, he gave up a few hits in the seventh, and it was about time for Will Stokes to come in anyways. Stokes just came to the mound and did his thing. His fastball was touching the upper nineties from time to time, and his ability to get ahead in counts gave him an opportunity to keep the batters guessing with any pitch...like his deadly breaking ball. 

Not surprisingly, Junior CF JB Woodman had a field day. Although he cashed in for his first triple of the year, his performance was nothing we have not seen before...just look for him in the First-Team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive Team. He had 3 RBI's due to a crushed double and triple to the wall, and he also chased down many balls that looked like they would surely drop. Colby Bortles had a 2-run RBI double in the bottom of the fourth, an inning which the Rebels had ten, yes...TEN, batters come to the plate. 

Wyatt Short came in to start the top of the ninth, and that was all she wrote. He needed only 11 pitches to secure the 5-1 win, and the rest of those in the bullpen will be a key factor throughout this postseason. We need to keep these arms safe. Again, the final score was 5-1, and Ole Miss will face second-seeded South Carolina tomorrow at 1 PM on the SEC Network. (Reminder: Ole Miss was swept at Swayze by this team, so they're pretty good...). Ole Miss will need there A game tomorrow, but it is very nice to get into the double-elimination portion of the bracket.

Recap: No. 6 Ole Miss at No. 2 Texas A&M (Game 3)

Ole Miss Squeaks Out Win Despite Late Scare

After having lost game 1 and 2 by a good amount(Game 1: 6-1/Game 2: 11-6), the Ole Miss Rebels were desperate for win number forty. It would in all likelihood lock the Rebels' shot at hosting a regional, a goal which this team had set from day 1.

As a fan, you were just waiting for that one big inning from A&M. They had a five-run inning on Thursday and won by five. They had a six-run inning on Friday and won by six. That inning would not come around for A&M. Chad Smith started this game, and he was throwing straight heaters. He was touching 96 MPH it seemed like every other pitch. He touched 97 on a big K early in the contest. After having played about half of the game, Ole Miss put Sophomore Will Stokes in the ballgame. He had some good stuff, giving up one ER, and he came out with one out in the eighth inning.

Short was great. There were bases loaded with one out against one of the best offensive teams in the country. As a spectator, one is thinking that the Rebs will give up at least one run, and this ballgame will go to extras or an A&M win. Neither happened. Short forced a pop-up in foul territory for the second out, and that gave every Rebel fan a sigh of relief. The next batter, highly-touted MLB prospect Nick Banks, would ground out to Robinson, and the game was over.

Ole Miss had achieved its 40th win and 18th SEC win, but that was only good for 7th best in the conference. The SEC has so much depth. The Rebels play ten-seeded Georgia on Tuesday in Hoover at 1 PM on the SEC Network. Although the Bulldogs have shot to win that one, the Rebels have a shot to win the whole thing. Anything can happen. No predictions coming from me, but I expect the Rebels to do fairly well. Nonetheless, Ole Miss is heading into postseason on a high note with a huge 3-2 win, and we will just have to see how this Rebel team will finish off this great year. 

Recap: (12) LSU vs. (13) Ole Miss

Woodman Propels Rebels to Series Win

RF J.B. Woodman celebrates his 2-run HR with 2B Tate Blackman at home plate.

Ole Miss took 2/3 from LSU this weekend, helping Ole Miss improve to 33-12(12-9 SEC). Before the Governor's Cup loss and series win, Ole Miss was ranked 13 in D1baseball.com's poll, 12 in USA Today's poll, and most importantly, 7 in the RPI.

On Thursday, the Rebels won a close game on Thursday. The final score was 7-6. Brady Bramlett pitched just below 4 innings on Thursday, and he had a decent(at best) performance. JB Woodman was #8 on SportsCenter's top ten plays with TWO rockets to home base to get the runner out. If he doesn't get those throws perfectly in on time, the Rebels give up two more runs than they did and lose the game. Woodman also had 2 RBI doubles to lead the Rebels to victory in game 1.

On Friday, Alex Lange for LSU pitched a complete and phenomenal game which led to a 6-3 Tigers win. Woodman went 2-3 in the game and accounted for 2 of Ole Miss' 3 runs. He belted a 2-run homer in the very first inning, but obviously, one player's performance usually does not get you a win over this quality of a team. It set up a rubber match on Saturday.

On Saturday, the Rebels' bats were on FIRE. JB Woodman and Colby Bortles hit back-to-back HR's in the first inning to give the Rebs an early 3-0 lead. With another JB Woodman laser to home plate to get the runner out, Ole Miss was just on flames. You turned around, and there was another run on the board. JB Woodman hit a 2-run shot later in the game, and LSU had one inning of good baseball offensively which accounted for their two runs. James McArthur had his first SEC start and pitched lights out. There was a 45 minute rain delay, and he pitched before and after the delay. The final score was 8-2, and the Rebels are inching closer to a hopeful regional hosting bid in the NCAA Tournament. 

Recap of Ole Miss/Arkansas Series

Bringing Out the Brooms

Junior SS Errol Robinson celebrates after having crossed home plate.

After having lost five straight games, Ole Miss(25-7, 6-6 SEC) has quickly bounced back and won five straight. The Rebs were 20-2 after having won a road series at Tennessee. Things were looking really good for Ole Miss, and then the Rebels were swept AT HOME by a very solid South Carolina team. The weekend preceding that horrible one, Ole Miss did not change their ways at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville, MS. State took the first two, and Ole Miss would go on to win the final game in that series to start a winning streak.

Last week, Ole Miss went to Pearl, MS, to play Southern Miss in Trustmark Park and defeated the Golden Eagles, 6-2. FYI: USM was #13 in the RPI at that time; thus meaning they are a good baseball team. And then to this weekend where the Rebels hosted #21 Arkansas. In the last ten games that include a five-game winning AND losing streak, the Rebels have not swung the bats well at all. This weekend was different.

Brady Bramlett, Ole Miss' Friday starting pitcher, went out and flat out balled. He had 12 K's in 7.0 innings pitched and gave up 0 runs in the Rebels' 7-3 victory. Saturday's matchup included 23 combined runs, and thankfully, Ole Miss contributed to a large majority of those. Ole Miss won the game 14-9, thanks to six runs in the eighth inning. Arkansas had a late push in that game, eight combined runs in the eighth AND ninth innings to make it somewhat interesting. Seven Rebels recorded a double in this game: Ryan Olenek, Holt Perdzock, Connor Cloyd, Michael Fitzsimmons, Kyle Watson, Errol Robinson, and Colby Bortles. You do not see many 23 combined runs along with 29 combined hits in a game. On Sunday, Ole Miss was desperate for a sweep to bring them to .500 in SEC play. They did just that. Wyatt Short, surprisingly, got his first-career start on Sunday. Short usually is the Rebels' closer, but the need for a Sunday pitcher was and is bad. JB Woodman's homer in the second inning was the highlight of the game, and it was one of the only Swayze shower of the weekend, also.

Ole Miss was ranked 4th in the RPI going into this weekend and ranged form 14-18 depending on polls in the real rankings. Ole Miss stayed at 4 in the RPI, and the rankings will come out tomorrow. I will tweet where Ole Miss stands throughout the day tomorrow. Ole Miss hosts Southern Miss at Swayze Field on Wednesday, April 13, at 6:30 PM on the SECNetwork+, and the road Rebs will visit Tuscaloosa, AL, this weekend to play Alabama!

Hotty Toddy.