Paul Finebaum didn’t need much time to make his position clear on Ole Miss.
After Week 7 shook up the SEC picture, Finebaum appeared on The Matt Barrie Show and was pressed about where the Rebels fit in the league. Barrie asked whether Ole Miss belonged in the top two in the SEC, and Finebaum didn’t hesitate.
"Absolutely," said Feinbaum. "I know I've given way too many Polly Positive answers here for the quota.
But if you ask me, 'In the SEC who do you like the most right now?' It's Ole Miss."
That’s a strong endorsement, especially in a conference where the conversation usually runs through a crowded top tier. Finebaum had already come away impressed after Ole Miss handled Missouri 31-3, saying, "There's no way, coming away from that, of being anything but bullish on Ole Miss."
Barrie pointed to the Rebels’ offense, with quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy giving the unit plenty of punch. He also raised the defense, though that side of the ball has quietly put together back-to-back sturdy outings.
That concern isn’t baseless, though. Ole Miss took a 52-28 loss to Florida, a game in which the Gators piled up 498 total yards and ran for 302 of them.
The Rebels also had a rough Week 1, giving up 469 yards to Louisville in a 41-38 shootout. Outside of those two games, though, Ole Miss has avoided surrendering 400 yards or more than 24 points in any of its other four contests.
Even so, the Rebels still sit last in the SEC in yards allowed per game at 390.
Chambliss has been steady overall, putting up 1,676 passing yards with 14 touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s also added 127 rushing yards and six scores on the ground.
Lacy’s season line looks a little lighter than expected because of usage and the Florida game, which he missed entirely. He has only 62 carries in six games, but he finally topped 100 rushing yards for the first time this season in Week 6, going for 122 yards on 16 carries. For the year, he has 352 rushing yards and five touchdowns, and the recent trend is moving in the right direction.
The schedule won’t let Ole Miss sit still for long. Texas, Auburn, and Georgia are next, with only the Longhorns coming on the road.
ESPN’s FPI gives the Rebels a 44% chance to make the College Football Playoff, placing them in the middle of a five-team group rated between 39% and 49%. Finebaum, though, sees Ole Miss as the real thing - and as the SEC’s top CFP threat alongside Georgia.
In Other News...
Vanderbilt Has A Painful Stock Up Stock Down Debate After Arkansas
Vanderbilts search for answers keeps getting tougher, and Saturdays 31-21 loss to Arkansas only added another painful entry to the ledger. The Commodores have now dropped four straight and are still trying to get traction in SEC play, even though there were individual bright spots worth noting. Junior Sherrill continued to give the offense a reliable target, Bryan Longwell was active all over the field, and Sedrick Alexander chipped in as both a runner and receiver to keep Vanderbilt within striking distance.
Still, the game turned on the kind of mistake that can define a young offense. Freshman quarterback Jared Curtis had a uneven afternoon, and a late interception in the final minutes came at the worst possible time as Vanderbilt was trying to push for a tying score. It left the Commodores sorting through the familiar stock up, stock down debate again, with some encouraging performances on tape and a result that leaves plenty unresolved heading into the next stretch. [Read more 🡒]
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Arizona Is Back In The National Title Conversation Early
The preseason AP Top 25 has arrived, and it gives Vanderbilt a little early-season validation after what has been a long wait. The Commodores are back in the conversation with a spot in the preseason rankings, joining a list led by Florida at No. 1 and packed with familiar powers like Duke, Illinois and UConn.
For Vanderbilt, the placement matters because it marks the programs first preseason Top 25 appearance since 2015, a small but meaningful sign that the Commodores are starting the year with national relevance rather than having to earn it from scratch. The poll also brings a few notable benchmarks elsewhere, from Kentucky closing in on its 1,000th AP poll appearance to Purdues run of 79 straight weeks coming to an end, but for Vanderbilt the bigger takeaway is simply getting back on the board before the season even starts. [Read more 🡒]