Rece Davis has Ole Miss sitting at No. 1 in his AP Poll, but he’s not riding with the Rebels this weekend.
On ESPN’s College GameDay podcast, the host said he’s taking No. 21 Florida over the Rebels when the teams meet Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
“I’m picking Florida. I think Florida's going to win the game,” Davis said.
“I think Ole Miss is still a championship contender. It'll be a close game.”
He didn’t shut the door on an Ole Miss escape in Gainesville, though. “It's not going to surprise me if Ole Miss finds a way to pull it out, but I'm going with the Gators,” he said.
“I think they've got something special brewing there. I think they're going to be a problem for the rest of the year.”
The matchup comes with both teams at 3-0 after statement SEC wins last week. Ole Miss knocked off LSU 32-24 in Oxford, with fifth-year quarterback Trinidad Chambliss throwing for 363 yards and earning AP Player of the Week honors. Senior receiver Traylon Ray finished with seven catches for 115 yards and a touchdown.
Florida’s win was every bit as loud. The Gators went to Auburn and came away with a 44-39 victory, giving first-year coach Jon Sumrall his first SEC win and delivering the program’s first win at Auburn since 1999. Florida is 3-0 for the first time since 2019 after going 4-8 last season.
Davis thinks that result may not be getting enough attention. “Maybe a little bit lost is the fact that Florida, too, is coming off an emotional win, particularly, I would imagine, for its head coach, Jon Sumrall,” he said. “But it also was a moment of validation for Florida.”
Florida’s offense has been driven by junior running back Jadan Baugh, who leads the SEC with 458 rushing yards and is tied for the national lead with eight touchdowns. He has gone over 135 rushing yards in each of the Gators’ first three games and has scored on runs of 61, 75, 33 and 53 yards.
That attack has been putting up big numbers all season. Florida averages 54 points per game and ranks No. 2 nationally in expected points added per play. Junior quarterback Aaron Philo, a Georgia Tech transfer, has thrown for 721 yards and six touchdowns.
That profile gives the Gators a real chance to stress an Ole Miss defense that has been vulnerable on the ground. The Rebels are giving up 159 rushing yards per game, the most in the SEC, after allowing 162 to Louisville, 143 to Charlotte and 172 to LSU.
“Buster Faulkner's stated goal ... is to create explosive plays in the running game, which Ole Miss has allowed some,” Davis said of Florida's offensive coordinator. “They played great backs at Louisville. They played LSU, which obviously has a dynamic offense.”
Ole Miss coach Pete Golding pointed to Florida’s pre-snap movement as part of the challenge. “It's one thing when you have a stationary picture and you know the tells,” Golding said.
“It's another when they ... shift to unbalanced, then motion and run the same play. It's the same play, but to our guys it doesn't look the same.”
Golding’s first full season has started without a loss. Ole Miss opened with a 41-38 win over Louisville in Nashville, then got a red zone interception from senior cornerback Jaylon Braxton to finish off LSU.
Florida, though, also has reasons to believe it can make Ole Miss uncomfortable. The Gators rank 126th in expected points added per rush allowed, and they were flagged 16 times for 138 yards at Auburn.
The Rebels may have to lean more on Chambliss again, since star running back Kewan Lacy is a game-time decision with a left shoulder injury. Lacy ran for 224 yards and four touchdowns in Ole Miss’ 34-24 win over Florida last November in Oxford.
Davis said the game could go a long way toward defining both teams. “Ole Miss can clearly be defined as a team that ought to be ranked No. 1 in the country, and I already have them there,” Davis said.
“But if they win this one, too, there's no question about that. And they might well be viewed as the favorite or co-favorite for the national championship.”
He also outlined the stakes for Florida. “If Florida wins the game, then I think Florida has defined itself as a little bit more than a fly in the SEC ointment and perhaps a team to be dealt with in terms of contending for a playoff spot and the championship the rest of the season,” Davis said.
Florida visits Missouri on Oct. 3, while Ole Miss plays at Vanderbilt on Oct. 10.
In Other News...
Urban Meyer Just Validated What Florida Fans Are Starting To Believe
Urban Meyer has seen enough to take a side in Floridas favor heading into the SEC matchup with Ole Miss, and for Gators fans, the timing matters. Speaking on The Triple Option podcast in his role as an analyst, Meyer pointed to the way Florida has been playing lately and said he expects Jon Sumralls team to handle the Rebels when the game arrives. It is the kind of outside endorsement that lands differently when a program is trying to build belief around its recent form.
Floridas offensive growth has been a big reason optimism has been rising, with running back Jadan Baugh helping drive a unit that has looked more balanced and more difficult to slow down. That puts real pressure on an Ole Miss defense that has to deal with a team playing with confidence and a clear identity. The matchup still has to be settled on the field, of course, but Meyers read matches the feeling around Gainesville that this one may be leaning Floridas way. [Read more 🡒]
Rueben Chinyelu Has One Big Chance To Change Floridas Ceiling
Rueben Chinyelu already gave Florida plenty to build on last season, and his return for a senior year gives the Gators a different kind of foundation. He paired a strong 2025-26 campaign with program-record production on the glass, collecting offensive boards and double-doubles at a rate that had not been seen in Gainesville in years, while also earning defensive and academic recognition along the way.
Now the challenge is bigger than simply repeating it. After briefly entering the 2026 NBA Draft before pulling back, Chinyelu is back with a clear purpose: sharpen the offensive side of his game and raise Floridas ceiling in the process. For a team that already knows what he can do around the rim and on the boards, the next step is whether his growth can turn a dependable interior force into something even more impactful. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Faces A Big Recruiting Test With Ian Condon Decision Looming
With the calendar nearing September 29, Ian Condon is set to make one of the more closely watched early decisions in the 2027 basketball class. The top-100 prospect has narrowed his list to eight finalists, a group that includes Florida along with Syracuse, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Boston College, NC State, Stanford and Georgia Tech, giving a mix of high-major programs and academically driven schools a real shot at landing him.
For the Gators, Condon represents the kind of national recruiting target that can sharpen the edge in a crowded race. A scouting report on his game points to a player with clear strengths and room to grow, which only adds to the intrigue for whichever staff eventually lands him. Until his announcement arrives, Florida will stay in the conversation and so will a handful of programs hoping this one goes their way. [Read more 🡒]