Two Potential 'Upset Alert Games' For Ole Miss Rebels in 2024

2024 could end up being an extremely successful year for the Ole Miss Rebels, but that success will not come without a few hard-fought games.

Dec 30, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Mississippi Rebels tight end Caden Prieskorn (86) celebrates with wide receiver Tre Harris (9) and running back Ulysses Bentley IV (24) after a touchdown catch against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

OXFORD, Miss. – It is well known that the Ole Miss Rebels are going all-in on the 2024 college football season. Coming off their first-ever 11-win season, the Rebels used that momentum to recruit the No. 3 transfer portal class in the nation this offseason and made significant upgrades on both sides of the trenches to compete with the best of the best.

With the playoff expanding to 12 teams and Ole Miss possessing a rather favorable conference slate, it is playoffs or bust for the Rebels in 2024. A first-ever appearance in the SEC title game is not out of the question either, as the conference is now division-less. Ole Miss will not get to the postseason, however, without making it through one or two close games in the regular season.

247Sports recently listed 10 games in 2024 that have upset potential, and two Ole Miss matchups made the rankings: Ole Miss at South Carolina (No. 7) and Georgia at Ole Miss (No. 1).

“Wedged between meaningful early-season home games against Kentucky and LSU, the Rebels' contest at Williams–Brice Stadium against South Carolina could get tricky,” 247Sports writes. “The Gamecocks have been a difficult team to beat in Columbia during Shane Beamer's tenure and will be coming off of their open date that precedes three-consecutive matchups against top-25 competition.”

It is difficult to see the Rebels as a potential upset victim after the offseason they just had, but these routs always happen when you least expect them to. Ole Miss' road game versus South Carolina could turn into a close game, but, to me, it just depends on how sophomore LaNorris Sellers is playing in his first season starting under center for the Gamecocks.

“The Bulldogs are 11-1 against the Rebels in the past 25 seasons, the lone setback coming in Oxford during the 2016 campaign,” 247Sports writes. “Ole Miss was loaded with elite talent under Hugh Freeze, but it didn't materialize, with five wins later being vacated. This time around, Lane Kiffin looks to make good on the best roster the Rebels have assembled in program history, on paper, after finishing with 11 wins last fall and capitalizing on that momentum through the transfer portal.”

Beating the Georgia Bulldogs in Oxford would have to be the biggest upset of the season. This game will not only have high stakes for both teams, but it could potentially be a preview of the SEC championship or a playoff game. To make things even more interesting, there is a world where both Ole Miss and Georgia are undefeated entering this game - provided the Rebels take care of business versus South Carolina.