Ole Miss On Outside Looking In On PFF's Preseason Top 25

Let's play the hypothetical game for a second.

What if the Ole Miss Rebels didn't collapse against LSU? What if they scored more than just one touchdown in the second half of the Egg Bowl? What if they beat Alabama — a game they lost by six points?

If those three outcomes fall their way, the outlook of the Rebels' season is totally different. They would have been 11-1 at the end of the regular season with their only loss a dismantling at the hands of Arkansas instead of 8-4, and they would have headed to Atlanta for a shot at Georgia in the Southeastern Conference Championship.

But those things didn't happen, and, instead, Ole Miss finished with an 8-5 record, a 42-25 TaxAct Texas Bowl loss and a four-game losing streak to end the year. For this reason, Pro Football Focus ranked the Rebels 34th in their 2023 preseason ELO rankings, which determines a team's value using a combination of offense, defense and special team grades from previous games and the location of future games.

Ole Miss isn't getting much respect as it is considered the 12th-best team in the SEC, trailing Georgia (No. 1), Alabama (No. 2), LSU (No. 8), Tennessee (No. 9), Arkansas (No. 18), Kentucky (No. 19), Florida (No. 20), South Carolina (No. 22), Mississippi State (No. 23), Texas A&M (No. 28) and Missouri (No. 33).

The Rebels return quarterback Jaxson Dart with some healthy competition after Oklahoma State's Spencer Sanders and LSU's Walker Howard transferred in. In the Grove Bowl, all three shined.

Dart was 18-of-37 for 302 yards and a touchdown, Sanders was 19-for-27 with 265 yards and three touchdowns and Howard — who suited up for both Team Red and Team Navy — completed 11 of his 13 pass attempts for 185 yards and three touchdowns.

The starting signal-caller for 2023 is unofficial at this point, but whoever earns the job will have all the tools to be successful.

In addition to returning one of the best running backs in college football in Quinshon Judkins, the Rebels boast a deep receiving corps as well with returners Jordan Watkins, Dayton Wade and tight end Michael Trigg and new-coming transfers Zakhari Franklin and Tre Harris.

You can follow Casey Smith on Twitter at @casey_smith2419

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