Ole Miss football vs. Kentucky Wildcats: Our final score predictions are in.
The Ole Miss Rebels are hosting the Kentucky Wildcats for their first ranked matchup this season.
The matchup against the No. 8 Wildcats is the Rebels' first conference matchup before Ole Miss is scheduled to face Vanderbilt, Auburn, LSU and Alabama. While the Rebels are seeking to extend their winning streak on Saturday, they will be tested by the Kentucky rushing defense, who've held each opponent well below season averages.
Can the Rebels take care of business against their first ranked opponent? Here's what our experts had to say.
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Nick Suss, Ole Miss beat reporter
Ole Miss 24, Kentucky 21: It's hard to imagine a scenario where either team wins this in a blowout. The defenses are too good and the offense are too risk averse. But thanks to home-field advantage and an offense built to score in more ways, give Ole Miss the slight edge.
Stefan Krajisnik, Mississippi State beat reporter
Mississippi State 24, Texas A&M 20: For a pair of offensive coaches, this will be an intriguing defensive battle. In such cases, I lean toward the better quarterback and the home team. Will Rogers is more proven than Max Johnson, and he has experience against Texas A&M and defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin. In a tight game, punting and field position can also be crucial. Mississippi State has a pair of trustworthy punters who can make life tougher for an A&M offense without its top receiver.
Blake Toppmeyer, SEC columnist
Ole Miss 35, Kentucky 28: In bizarro world, Kentucky beats opponents through the air, and quarterback guru Lane Kiffin presides over an elite ground attack. Other than a hiccup in closing out Tulsa, Ole Miss has been pretty smooth throughout its first four games. The Rebels seem a little more polished than Kentucky, although the Wildcats should get a boost from the return of star running back Chris Rodriguez Jr.
John Adams, senior sports columnist
Ole Miss 30, Kentucky 24: This game of unbeaten, nationally ranked teams defies recent SEC history. But Kentucky coach Mark Stoops and Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin have had a huge impact.
Kiffin just didn’t take as long.
Kiffin vs. Stoops might be the best Ole Miss-Kentucky coaching matchup since 1953 when the Rebels Johnny Vaught and the Wildcats Bear Bryant matched wits in the second game of the season.
Ole Miss won 22-6 in Oxford, but both teams finished 7-2-1. In case you are wondering, I didn’t cover that game.
Bryant left for Texas A&M after the season. He led the Aggies to an unbeaten season in 1956. Vaught coached 25 years at Ole Miss, where he fielded unbeaten teams in 1960 and 1962.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss football score predictions vs Kentucky Wildcats
