Four Downs: The Predictions
The Daily Mississippian’s David Collier, Tyler Bischoff and John Luke McCord give their best shot at predicting next football season in the conclusion of this edition of Four Downs.
Game 5: Ole Miss at Auburn
Collier: Auburn 45 Ole Miss 44
In my opinion, this will be a game that could turn a successful season into a great one for the Rebels. In another tough road battle, Ole Miss will lose a heartbreaker against Gus Malzahn and the revamped Auburn offense. The Rebels will put plenty of points on the board, but settling for too many field goals will ultimately be the difference.
Bischoff: Auburn 45 Ole Miss 38
Gus Malzahn will help Auburn get out of the dumpster fire that was last season. Auburn’s last three recruiting classes were ranked 2nd, 8th and 14th by Scout. They have the talent to be an excellent football team. Kiehl Frazier struggled last season, but he went to Auburn to run Gus Malzahn’s offense. Expect Frazier and Auburn to be much improved.
McCord: Auburn 34 Ole Miss 31
Auburn should have a similar turnaround to what Ole Miss saw in 2012. The Auburn offense will score a lot and the defense is just athletic enough to beat Ole Miss at home.
Game 6: Texas A&M at Ole Miss
Collier: Texas A&M 38 Ole Miss 34
Much like last year’s contest, Ole Miss will be hanging their heads after another tough loss. It won’t be quite as heartbreaking though because the Aggies will be the ones leading heading into the fourth quarter and a Rebel comeback will fall just short. Bo Wallace will have a great game, but a late mistake will prove to be the killer.
Bischoff: Texas A&M 35 Ole Miss 32
Texas A&M had six turnovers last year in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and they still won the game. Will they gift wrap the victory for Ole Miss again? Probably not. Ole Miss will be better equipped to handle Johnny Manziel, but if he can outrun elite SEC defenses, don’t think Robert Nkemdiche will be a Manziel stopper.
McCord: Texas A&M 38 Ole Miss 34
Johnny Manziel will be a better passer this season and will again work magic inside Vaught-Hemingway.
Game 7: LSU at Ole Miss
Collier: Ole Miss 34 LSU 20
After four straight tough losses, the Rebels finally break through with a win at home over their rival LSU. They put everything together, and Ole Miss will take weeks of frustration out on a talented Tiger team. Bo Wallace will have another good game and the defense will emerge into a group that will be the difference going forward.
Bischoff: LSU 27 Ole Miss 26
This might be the most entertaining game of the season. An improved Zach Mettenberger and an improved Bo Wallace should make the offenses ready to roll, but the defenses will make the plays in this one and LSU will make just one more.
McCord: Ole Miss 27 LSU 14
The LSU offense won’t have enough to go on the road and win against Ole Miss. The Ole Miss offense should have similar success as they did against the Tigers in 2012.
Game 8: Idaho at Ole Miss
Collier: Ole Miss 55 Idaho 10
The Rebels will coast through this one while giving younger guys an opportunity to fine tune their skills in a game situation. It will also be a good break for Ole Miss after going through the brutal first seven games of the schedule.
Bischoff: Ole Miss 66 Idaho 6
Idaho went 1-11 last season. This will be a much needed respite for Ole Miss after their brutal stretch. Poor Idaho.
McCord: Ole Miss 45 Idaho 17
Although I don’t pretend to know a lot about Idaho, I will say they could score some points against an Ole Miss team coming off that run of SEC opponents. However, I still feel like Ole Miss is superior.
Game 9: Arkansas at Ole Miss
Collier: Ole Miss 35 Arkansas 16
Ole Miss dominates this one from start to finish, as the Razorbacks can’t get into an offensive rhythm. The Rebels’ tempo will wear Arkansas out, and they take advantage in the third quarter. Arkansas has talent, but they aren’t fit to run the system first-year head coach Brett Bielema wants.
Bischoff: Ole Miss 34 Arkansas 20
Dennis Johnson, the running back who nearly brought Arkansas back to beat Ole Miss last year is gone. He had 161 yards and was the reason Ole Miss had to drive down the field to kick a field goal to win the game. Remember? Ole Miss barely beat Arkansas last year. This year won’t be an automatic win but Ole Miss will hold on comfortably.
McCord: Ole Miss 34 Arkansas 13
Arkansas will be a transitioning offense with a new quarterback. Yeah, they won’t score a ton next season, and Ole Miss, on the other hand, will. I expect this to be an easy (if possible) SEC victory.
Game 10: Troy at Ole Miss
Collier: Ole Miss 49, Troy 27
Once again, the tempo is what builds an early Rebel lead that they will never relinquish. They build a big lead before halftime, which gives the backups a chance to get more quality reps. Troy could give Ole Miss trouble, but I think the tempo will be too much for them to overcome. The Trojans make a late push, but it’s too little too late.
Bischoff: Ole Miss 44 Troy 21
Troy gave both Tennessee and Mississippi State fits last year, losing to both by single digits. But I expect Ole Miss to be able to handle Troy easily.
McCord: Ole Miss 41 Troy 21
Troy will have a nice offense this season and could catch Ole Miss off balance early. However, Ole Miss should overpower them and win easily.
Game 11: Missouri at Ole Miss
Collier: Ole Miss 41, Missouri 20
Much like last year, Missouri will be banged up at this point in the season, and Ole Miss will take advantage. The Rebels will be feeling good after having a relatively easy three games after the brutal first half of the schedule. Ole Miss scores at will and runs away with a win in the second half.
Bischoff: Ole Miss 36 Missouri 27
If James Franklin is healthy Missouri has a fighting chance. Franklin can be a mini Manziel for the Tigers, but he couldn’t stay healthy last season. Franklin can give Ole Miss troubles like Manziel but he’s not that good, and the rest of Missouri isn’t either.
McCord: Ole Miss 35 Missouri 24
While I think this game will be easier than the score suggests, Missouri will have an offense that can hold their own, but they won’t have enough on the road.
Game 12: Ole Miss at Mississippi State
Collier: Ole Miss 45, Mississippi State 30
For the second straight year, Ole Miss’ momentum is too much for Dan Mullen and the Bulldogs to handle. Mississippi State will look to end a rather disappointing year with bang, but the Rebels will have too much firepower to slow down. Ole Miss will end the regular season with eight wins and will be on their way to a Florida bowl game.
Bischoff: Mississippi State 34 Ole Miss 29
In the last nine seasons Ole Miss has won five straight games once, in 2008 to finish the year with six straight. Ole Miss will be riding a four game streak and already be bowl eligible. Mississippi State may be fighting for their sixth win. Ole Miss has not put themselves past Mississippi State. Ole Miss only dominated one quarter last year, not the entire game. Mississippi State will be motivated and at home and give the Egg Bowl back to Dan Mullen.
McCord: Ole Miss 38 Mississippi State 17
I think this will again be an easy victory for Ole Miss as I just don’t think MSU will be so great this season. So an easy win on the road is what this looks like from afar. For MSU, it could cap a very disappointing and telling season.
