Ole Miss Makes Top 10 in Josh Pate's Preseason Power Rankings

The Ole Miss Rebels come in at No. 8 in another set of preseason rankings.

Jul 15, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin speaking at Omni Dallas Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Pate has built a college football media empire and has been one of the sport's most influential voices over the past few seasons. Pate is a college football fanatic, and you can tell he does his research if you have ever listened to his show 'The Late Kick with Josh Pate.'

A staple of Pate's in-season show is the JP Poll, a power ranking of the top 25 college football teams almost every week of the season. The poll gets tons of clicks as some don't understand why a 2-3 team could be ahead of a 4-1 team, but Pate stresses that power rankings are not the same as a normal top 25.

Pate had been teasing his preseason JP Poll and finally dropped it in his latest episode. Below you can see his full JP Poll.

🚨JP POLL: PRESEASON EDITION🚨 pic.twitter.com/7Kruqbf2zM

— Josh Pate (@LateKickJosh) July 29, 2024

In the top five, you will find the usual suspects: Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas and Alabama. Ole Miss landed at No. 8 on Pate's poll, and he mentioned that teams in the 8-10 spots have some obvious flaws. Pate mentions that the Rebels' biggest flaw/question mark is their defense.

Before Rebel fans claim that Pate "doesn't know ball," the defense is a giant question mark. Yes, the Rebels did work in the portal on the defensive side of the football, but these additions have yet to do anything in an Ole Miss jersey. The defensive line is full of potential early-round picks, but the secondary is honestly the wild card of this team. Lots of upside but unproven talent in the red and blue.

Don't expect Pate to move the Rebels up so soon either as the first team they play on these initial power rankings is the LSU Tigers in Week 7.

A couple of interesting teams in this poll are the USC Trojans at 20, the Florida Gators at 21, and the Oklahoma State Cowboys at 23.

It should be fun to follow these rankings as they fluctuate throughout the 2024 season. It's just one analyst's opinion, but keeping track of the changes is always an interesting exercise.