Ole Miss will begin the season sitting at No. 10 in the US LBM Coaches Poll, a spot that keeps the Rebels right in the heart of the national conversation.
The ranking was announced Tuesday, and it puts Ole Miss between No. 9 Oklahoma and No.
11 Alabama after a 13-2 season that ended with a loss to Miami in the National Semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8 in Glendale, Ariz. The Rebels collected 1,096 votes in the preseason poll.
The top of the Coaches Poll is dominated by the Big Ten, with Ohio State at No. 1 and Oregon at No. 2.
Georgia, Texas and Notre Dame fill out the top five, while defending national champion Indiana checks in at No. 6.
Miami follows at No. 7, then Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Ole Miss.
The SEC shows up in force behind the Rebels, too. The league has five teams in the top 10, seven in the top 13, eight in the top 18 and nine in the top 25.
LSU lands at No. 13, Tennessee at No. 18 and Missouri at No.
- Among other SEC teams, Florida, Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Auburn also received votes.
Ole Miss has plenty of ranked opponents waiting on the schedule. The Rebels will face Georgia, LSU and Missouri in Oxford and travel to Texas and Oklahoma this season.
Before any of that, though, the Rebels open against Louisville. The Cardinals received 153 votes, five fewer than Missouri, and will meet Ole Miss in Nashville on Sept. 6.
Preseason camp starts Thursday for Ole Miss.
At SEC Media Days in Tampa last month, the Rebels were picked to finish third in the league. The Associated Press Top 25 will be released later this month.
The US LBM Coaches Poll is voted on weekly during the regular season by a panel of Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches selected by random draw, conference by conference and among independents, from coaches who have told the American Football Coaches Association they are willing to take part. Each coach submits a Top 25, with first place worth 25 points and each spot down to 25th worth one point.
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