Ole Miss Rebels’ ranking in the preseason AP Top-25 is a direct reflection of their biggest offseason win
The Ole Miss Rebels are among the best teams in the country in the preseason Top-25 poll released by the Associated Press, and it’s for one, but really two main reasons that stem back to the transfer portal.
The Ole Miss Rebels check in at No. 9 in the AP preseason Top-25 poll with the college football season just weeks away. Similar to what we saw in the coaches poll, the ranking appears to be a judgment from AP voters driven by two main factors, but the biggest one is impossible to ignore: that backfield duo in Oxford.
Key Ole Miss portal additions
- Johntay Cook II: Wide receiver (from Syracuse)
- Darrell Gill Jr.: Wide receiver (from Syracuse)
- JT Lindsey: Running back (from LSU)
Kwon Lacy and Trinidad Chambliss make Ole Miss dangerous
Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy give Ole Miss one of the most explosive backfields in the country. Chambliss has a growing fan base not only in college football but in the NFL. There are a lot of people who think he might be the best player in the entire sport, which sounds kind of crazy to say given the fact that he was a D2 quarterback transferring in at this time last year. That’s how good he was in 2025.
And the running back behind him? Lacy might be the best running back in all of college football. If you have a tandem like that, you’re going to win a lot of games, certainly in an SEC that is very high-paced these days.
The Pete Golding question
The second factor baked into this ranking is the unknown surrounding head coach Pete Golding. There are some legitimate questions about what his first year running the program in a full-time capacity looks like. This isn’t a coordinator role anymore. Lane Kiffin isn’t there. Golding has to be the one calling all the shots and running the show.
So the immediate question becomes: can he handle it?
If he proves capable, and there is no evidence to suggest he can’t given what Ole Miss did in the College Football Playoff, the Rebels could end up being a lot higher than 9th overall. That’s the ceiling for this program if Golding puts it all together.
Do preseason rankings even matter?
The bottom line is this: preseason rankings rarely hold up. We see them every year, and they turn out to be complete toast by Week 1 or Week 2 at some point. For the time being, though, No. 9 is a good sign for Ole Miss. The talent is there, the questions are fair, and the regular season will sort it all out.
Too high, too low, or just right for the Rebels?
