MISSISSIPPI REBELS O:5 D:5

Ole Miss HC Ed Orgeron knew he had a rebuilding job on his hands when he accepted the Rebels head coach position last season, and the fruits of his labor might just come to fruition in ’06. Now, an SEC Title or NCAA Championship aren’t in the cards, but the Rebels have the young talent on hand to flirt with bowl eligibility. It all starts at the QB position where the Rebs have been lacking ever since the Eli Manning era ended at the Cotton Bowl in ’03. QB Brent Schaeffer now holds the reigns of the Rebels offense, and he’s the same kid that started for Tennessee a few year’s back. The RB corps is also in much better shape than last year with the addition of the state of Mississippi’s best overall back, Cordera Eason, and the transfer of Benjarvus Green-Ellis from Indiana who rushed for 1732 yards in two years at Indiana. The WR corps is young, but talented, and the O-Line will definitely bounce back from last year’s poor performance under the tutelage of new O-Line Coach Art Kehoe (formerly at Miami). MLB Patrick Willis is back for his senior season to anchor the middle of the Rebels defense. He’ll have some solid talent to his left and right with a solid secondary behind, but the young D-Line will need to come together quickly for this club to better last year’s numbers.

Everywhere HC Orgeron has been (Miami, USC) the team had success, and the folks down in Oxford will experience that same type of success in the coming years. This program looks to be on the brink of becoming a contender in the SEC once again, but for now, it’s a .500 club that could get a shot at a bowl game if they catch a few lucky breaks.