5. Ole Miss

Hugh Freeze has proven to be a very strong head coach. After one 10-2 season at Arkansas State, the Oxford native took over his hometown Ole Miss Rebels, and the team’s record has improved every season. While we don’t expect the Rebs to fall off the table this season, Ole Miss fans who are expecting the team to take home the SEC West title may want to slow down a bit.

The offense returns pretty much everyone, except for Bo Wallace at quarterback. While “Dr. Bo” was very inconsistent throughout his Ole Miss career, replacing a long-time starting QB is never easy. The success of whichever player steps in, whether it is Ryan Buchanan, former Clemson Tiger Chad Kelly, or DeVante Kincade, will dictate how good the Rebels offense will be in 2015.

Of course, Ole Miss has been all about the defense for the last few seasons, and for good reason. The Rebels’ “Landshark” defense led the entire country, allowing just 16 points per game. While many of the principles of that unit return, including the uber-talented Nkemdiche brothers, Ole Miss loses cornerback Senquez Golson and safety Cody Prewitt, two of the best defensive backs in the country last year.

We expect Ole Miss to be a solid team next year, as they have been throughout Freeze’s tenure so far. If linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche and star wide receiver Laquon Treadwell return to form from season ending 2014 injuries, they have a chance to be very good. We just don’t think any College Football Playoff aspirations are legitimate quite yet, at least until we see someone really take hold of that quarterback job.

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