After starting the year 3-0, Ole Miss got to enjoy its undefeated record and national ranking for at least one more week, as the Rebels had a bye week giving them extra time to prepare for their ultimate test.
Ole Miss plays No. 1 Alabama on the road Saturday, which will once and for all tell head coach Hugh Freeze, fans and the rest of the world what this Rebel team is made of.
It’s been so far, so good for Ole Miss with impressive road wins at Vanderbilt and Texas. It’s even more impressive when you consider where this team was at this point last year.
So that leads us to wonder: How good can the Rebels be in year two under Freeze? Simply, very good. But there’s more to it than that.
Before the season started, fans and media alike were predicting around seven or eight wins for Ole Miss in 2013, but a 3-0 start increases expectations just a bit. So what number of wins should be expected now?
To me, it’s the same seven or eight wins.
That might seem crazy to some, but what some are failing to realize is the Rebels have yet to enter arguably the toughest four-game stretch anyone will face this season, as Ole Miss travels to Alabama and Auburn before hosting Texas A&M and LSU in the next four weekends.
If Ole Miss comes out of that with a couple of wins and everyone still healthy, it might be time to expect more wins, but not right now. It’s not fair.
Freeze wasn’t hired to make Ole Miss a one-hit wonder. He was hired to build a stable program that could compete consistently in the years to come in the rigorous SEC West.
Could that start in year two? Sure. Will it? We’ll see.
Early success for coaches can often mean the downfall of their program. Look at Houston Nutt: if those first two years saw the Rebels win four or five games instead of nine, would the disappointing 2010 and 2009 seasons have been as bad for the fan base? I don’t think so.
Sure, Nutt’s last two years would’ve had him fired regardless of any lack of success he could have had during the first two years, but you get the point.
If Freeze is able to capture eight or nine wins in the second year of building his program, will fans be OK with a minor setback in the next couple of years as he tries to build a stable program? I highly doubt it.
Why does there have to be a minor setback? There doesn’t, but this team is not ready to be a contender. Not in this league.
Freeze has said time and time again that they are two or three more good recruiting classes from having SEC depth. They are leaps and bounds ahead of where they were depth-wise last year, and it’s already showing on the field. But once the Rebels end this upcoming four-game stretch, it may be more apparent that they need more.
So while right now everything feels good and it doesn’t seem like a nine-win season is too far of a stretch, be cautiously optimistic.
Yes, it could be done, but it’s certainly not a given.
No matter what you’ve seen from Auburn so far this year, the Tigers have talent, and winning a game on the Plains is a daunting task. I don’t care who you are. As far as Texas A&M and LSU go, you’d like to think Ole Miss will have a good shot playing at home, but it’ll take more than a home-field advantage to get it done.
I’m not saying it can’t be done, but the Rebels have to get a win in at least one of those contests to get to that nine-win mark.
Then, you have the rest of the schedule that certainly looks favorable for Ole Miss. The Rebels won’t leave the state of Mississippi, but can they avoid an upset loss at home to either Arkansas or Missouri or even a loss to Mississippi State on the road?
The Missouri game is the one I’d be most concerned about.
And what about ‘Bama? I mentioned everyone but the defending champs. Is it a given the Rebels will go into Tuscaloosa and come out with their first loss? No, but it’s better, as a fan, to think that way.
Ole Miss gets a free shot at the Crimson Tide this weekend, and we’ll see what Freeze’s offense is made of. Alabama has everything to lose while the Rebels have everything to gain. It’s a perfect scenario for a program looking to show the world they are ready to be relevant — not just this season, but from now on.
Freeze gets a chance to showcase his spread offense in hopes of having the success Texas A&M did two weeks prior. The defense gets a chance to make a statement against an Alabama offense that can literally hurt you in any way possible.
Ole Miss competed well against Alabama last season, but some said the Crimson Tide were overlooking the rebuilding Rebels. We certainly know that won’t be the case this year.
The defending champs will give Ole Miss their best shot, and I think it’s safe to assume Freeze will have his guys ready to go. It’ll be the ultimate test, and we’ll get a good look at how close Ole Miss is to being a real player in the SEC.
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