Ole Miss Football Week One Opponent Preview: Predictions for Rebels vs. Trojans
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It's never too early to discuss college football.
Ole Miss will open its 2022 season at home against Troy on Sept. 3 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The Trojans are led by first-year head coach and former Ole Miss assistant Jon Sumrall. He served as the linebackers coach at Ole Miss beginning in 2018.
This marks Sumrall's first head coaching job at the collegiate level, and he takes over a program that went 5-7 a season ago and 3-5 in the Sun Belt. The Trojans parted ways with former head coach Chip Lindsey prior to their final game of the 2021 season against Georgia State.
The Rebels and Trojans will kick off at 3 p.m. CT on Sept. 3. We’ve looked at an overarching preview of Troy football, and today, we will give staff predictions for the Ole Miss season opener.
John Garcia Jr.
Troy should be headed in the right direction under new head coach Jon Sumrall, but game one, year one against an SEC West opponent with high expectations is probably too much on their plate.
Quarterback battle aside, Ole Miss' revamped running back room led by Zach Evans gets going in a hurry to buy time for a defense making just as many personnel changes. AJ Finley grabs an interception, and the Rebels roll 41-14.
Ben King
Ole Miss will be looking to kick off the season with a bang at home against the Troy Trojans. The new running back duo of Zach Evans and Ulysses Bentley IV will carry the load for the Rebels in week one with both backs combining for over 100 total yards. Luke Altmyer will be QB1 for the Rebels in week one and tight end Michael Trigg will be his No. 1 receiver. Ole Miss 31, Troy 14.
Brian Smith
The Rebels kickoff the 2022 college football schedule with a team that's accustomed to playing SEC competition, and that would be Troy. The Trojans are under new leadership after a 5-7 campaign last season, and it's going through some roster changes as well. Ole Miss has too many weapons and too much depth for Troy. This game will be close for a while, but the Rebels beat down the Trojans in the second half and pull away. Ole Miss 38, Troy 17
Cole Thompson
Lane Kiffin should be fixated on only one position against the Trojans: quarterback. Luke Altmyer look to be the more viable candidate to start during spring, but USC transfer Jaxson Dart might have the upside. The real attention of the game should be on former TCU running back Zach Evans, who averaged 7.0 yards per attempt in the Big 12. The Rebels win, but do they find their starting QB for Week 2? Ole Miss 42, Troy 17
Matt Galatzan
The Rebels will welcome the Troy Trojans to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium with a new-look roster in week one. Gone are Matt Corral, Dontario Drummond and Jerrion Ealy, and in are Jaxson Dart, Michael Trigg and Zach Evans. It will take some time for the offense to adjust with all of the new personnel, but the Rebels should still run all over the Trojans. Ole Miss 41, Troy 20
John Macon Gillespie
Like the rest of the staff, I'll point out that Ole Miss' roster will look much different than it did in 2021, but that doesn't mean less talented. Regardless of who takes snaps at quarterback for Ole Miss, the Rebels should handle the Trojans pretty easily. Expect there to be some rusty moments in the early going, but Lane Kiffin's squad will pull away. Ole Miss 38, Troy 14
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