SEC Schedule a Day: Ole Miss

The Combustible Cajun, Ed Orgeron, has been given the boot and in comes the slightly less crazy Houston Nutt. Fortunately for Rebel fans Houston has some idea how to coach a football team. We'll call last year the bottoming out for the program and there should be some return to respectability. Jevan Snead provides immediate help at QB and the non-kill players were already pretty talented.

8/30 Memphis

Memphis trending towards suck. Ole Miss trending towards not suck. Seems like the Tigers have been in an identity crisis ever since DeAngelo Williams bolted for the NFL. Ole Miss starts off the Nutt regime on a good foot.

9/6 at Wake Forest

Wouldn't expect a lot of offensive fireworks in this one. Two ball control offenses slowly figure out who has the least marginal skill players. This early in the season I have to give the edge to the Demon Deacons. It takes awhile for a new coaching staff to spread their philosophy and I think it's a little too much to ask for Ole Miss to become a successful power running team so soon.

9/13 Samford

It's conceivable that Pat Sullivan could turn Samford into an intriguing Subdivision team in a few years. But that day hasn't come yet.

9/20 Vanderbilt

It must have been a soul crushing experience the last few years for Ole Miss fans when Vandy came up on the schedule. Ole Miss throws more money and time into football, they have better facilities, and a better recruiting base. Yet the Vandy has won 2 of the last three and been extremely competitive over the last 5 years. I think Ole Miss rises above the dregs of the SEC.

9/27 at Florida

The Rebels were magically able to keep this game close last year in Oxford. Assuming the Florida defense tightens up a little bit this year and the crowd shows up at all, Florida should win this one by 20 points or more. For the record, these schools may have the biggest disparity between female student gameday attire. I've seen tube tops, tank tops, jean shorts/skirts and even bikini tops at Florida. Ole Miss ladies prefer to dress for the bar, church, soiree but they definitely aren't wearing an outfit that comes under $200 and they definitely are wearing makeup. Both are good in their own way, just totally different.

10/4 South Carolina

Trick roady trip for the Gamecocks. Ole Miss should be properly battle tested by this point in the season. South Carolina should have tried out about 6 different quarterbacks by the start of October. South Carolina does not have a big enough of an advantage to take this game lightly. This game probably ends up being 21-17 and a couple of plays will decide who ends up with 21. I like Spurrier matching up against Tyrone Nix who was his former defensive coordinator at South Carolina. That's not the type of thing that the OBC will take lightly. Cocks beat Nutt.

10/18 @ Alabama

The off weekend finally rolls around for the Rebs and I think they'll need it. bama gets an off weekend as well and I have a feeling they come out flat. I also don't like the matchup of the depleted 3-4 against the Ole Miss rushing attack.

10/25 @ Arkansas

The bad news is the back to back road trips. The good news is that Arkansas is awful. Houston Nutt rides the wave of emotion heading back to Fayetteville and pulls out the important win. Just looking at coaching staffs, Nutt will have an easier transition of philosophies in Oxford than Petrino will in Arkansas.

11/1 Auburn

Did I really pick Ole Miss to win this game? Well, no one would have thought Stanford was going to beat USC last year. The more parity that enters the league the more preparation and energy become vital to victories.

11/15 Louisiana Monroe

Ole Miss avoids pulling a Saban and manages to beat LaMonroe. Someone give Houston Nutt $4 million a year.

11/22 @ LSU

Jevan Snead vs. Ryan Perrilloux would have been exciting showdown based on their hype out of highschool. Of course out of high school that would have been LSU vs Texas and not Ole Miss vs. Jacksonville State. Ole Miss has no business keeping this game close. The Tigers roll in Death Valley.

11/28 Miss State

The Rebels figure out a way to not disappoint the home fans in the Egg Bowl. Like many Ole Miss games this year, it should be a grind it out ball game that could be decided by a couple of fluke plays. Those fluke plays usually seem to fall you way at home.

SEC: 5-3
Season: 8-4

Ultimately that would be a very successful year for the Rebels. 7-5 is much more likely though. I believe I'm sensing a non-existent switch of momentum.