Ole Miss Pulls a So Cal

I just have one question: "Was Ole Miss really a #4 team?" I can't believe they started out at #10! Really?! I suspect that it's because they are a part of the SEC and the media wants so badly to have all twelve teams "appear" to be so great, that they can finally determine that the SEC is finally the clear top conference in the world... oops, I mean, nation. Well, from my standpoint, there will always be an arguement with that.

The Rebels played a good bowl game to end their season last year under first-year coach Houston Nutt; however, does that really warrant a #10 pre-season ranking? Hmmm. That's also like my question whether a top 5 pre-season ranking was way too high for a USC team that brought back only 3 starters on defense and a brand new quarterback. Top 20? Yes. Top 5? What are you talking about? Even the hard core Trojans fan that I am, I knew that it was way too generous; as well as the Rebels squad. At least USC was able to knock out another ranked opponent in Columbus, OH, before they lost a conference matchup against nearly a third of their old coaches up in Seattle, WA. Ole Miss, on the other hand, handed Memphis a whoopin' to move up a bit, then a bye week to hang tight for a week, and then an onslaught of points against the super power (sarcasm intended here) of Southeastern Louisiana. Back to my initial question, whether that is enough to warrant a #4 ranking in the entire United States of America. I have to be concerned about the welfare of division I football with the current voters that I have to suffer with. In the last couple years, the media has tried so hard to find the next great SEC team to raise them up high in the air and show the country how awesome they are (until they actually play a real team or two or six). First it was Vanderbilt getting all the way to #13 or something. They weren't even bowl eligible yet and a team that hasn't gone anywhere in the post season since 1982, had a ranking in the top 15. Really? Who are they playing in their first five games? Well, we know that they are desperate for wins (you would be too with the accrual of losses they get each year), so they are definitely going to use those four non-conference matchups as "gimmes". Any smart AD at Vanderbilt would. So, they look sharp against these four "gimmes" and then play inspired ball against another lowly team from the SEC and actually start 5-0. With a #13 pinned on their shoulder pads, they must have been put on the cover of SI or something because they lost to the other bottom feeder of the SEC, Mississippi State, the very next week (which I predicted, by the way). Anyone with any history of college football in their back pocket would have seen that a mile away. Just like the loss that Ole Miss suffered tonight in the hands of South Carolina, who played horribly on offense in the 4th quarter.

So, the Rebels lost the first conference game they played as a #4 team. Now, I'm sure the South Eastern fans will look at this like the conference is so packed with nutty goodness that the loss proves how deep of a conference it is, because Ole Miss will dominate all of their non-conference opponents. A warning right now to those two other football powers, UAB and Northern Arizona; the Rebels will treat you like a red-headed step-child (oh, sarcasm about the "football powers" was again intended). How far will Ole Miss fall? Will they fall like USC did with a drop of nine spots, or will they go the BYU route and drop closer to twelve? No one can be certain. A little will be determined by how many other top 20 teams lose over the weekend, but I suspect that there were high hopes from the beginning and they are in the SEC and lost to another SEC opponent that they will drop only 7 or 8 spots. Who knows? I guess we'll see in a few days when the voters have filled out their ballots Sunday night. I hope they actually watch some football this weekend and get some accurate information before they vote this weekend. I'm getting really concerned with things look based on these votes getting through each week. I would really like to see the proper teams in the top 15 spots in the AP poll.