Advertisement

Ranking all 12 teams on Ole Miss football's 2022 schedule, from least to most difficult

nick suss, mississippi clarion ledger
·5 min read

If there's one thing that's obvious about Ole Miss football's 2022 schedule, it's that the Rebels are about to face one of the most backloaded slates in college football.

The Rebels open the 2022 season on Sept. 3 against Troy, trying to build off the first 10-win regular season in school history heading into coach Lane Kiffin's third year in Oxford.

After opening with four nonconference games and two games against SEC East teams, the Rebels will play their last six games against the SEC West, with only one week off breaking up the gauntlet.

CHANGES?: In potential 9-game SEC football schedule, which schools are permanent rivals? We built a model

TOPPMEYER: Greg Sankey's not bluffing about SEC-only playoff. Here's how I know.

With fewer than 100 days before the season starts, let's take a look at Ole Miss football's 2022 schedule, ranking its opponents from easiest to hardest (FPI is the ESPN College Football Index, SP+ is ESPN's SP+ rankings, which require a subscription).

12. Central Arkansas (Sept. 10)

Central Arkansas went 5-6 in FCS last year. And while the Bears had some impressive offensive showings, they allowed 396.6 yards per game. It's hard to imagine Ole Miss' fast-paced offense struggling in this one.

11. at Vanderbilt (Oct. 8)

FPI: 103; SP+: 115

ESPN's Football Power Index rates Vanderbilt as the FBS' worst Power Five team and ESPN's SP+ rankings have the Commodores as the second-worst Power Five team. Following up a 2-10 season with the SEC's lowest-rated recruiting class and its third-lowest-rated transfer signing class doesn't help much in the short term.

10. Tulsa (Sept. 24)

FPI: 92; SP+: 79

Tulsa ended last season strong, winning four straight including the Myrtle Beach Bowl. But few teams are returning less than Tulsa will. Using ESPN's weighted returning production formula, the Golden Hurricane rank 93rd in returning offensive production and 108th in returning defensive production.

9. Troy (Sept. 3)

FPI: 81; SP+: 86

Troy returns most of its significant pieces from a stingy defense that was among the Sun Belt's best a year ago. New Troy coach Jon Sumrall coached at Ole Miss in 2018 and will have some familiarity with Oxford, but the way his new offense will look is yet to be seen.

8. at Georgia Tech (Sept. 17)

FPI: 67; SP+: 90

Georgia Tech ended last season on a six-game losing streak where it allowed 41 points per game and was shut out by Notre Dame (55-0) and Georgia (45-0) to end the year. The Yellow Jackets loaded up on transfers this offseason, adding players from everywhere: From Clemson, Auburn and Notre Dame to Maryland, UCLA, South Carolina and Kentucky.

7. at Arkansas (Nov. 19)

FPI: 29; SP+: 26

Arkansas' offense gave Ole Miss fits last year. Quarterback K.J. Jefferson returns as one of the SEC's more experienced passers but the Razorbacks' defense has some major holes to fill. This should be a pretty even matchup.

6. Mississippi State (Nov. 24)

FPI: 24; SP+: 15

Returning production isn't a problem for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs return the eighth-most defensive production per ESPN's formula, as well as quarterback Will Rogers, running backs Dillon Johnson and Jo'quavious Marks and receivers Jaden Walley, Austin Williams and Tulu Griffin.

The Egg Bowl is in Oxford this year so Ole Miss has that advantage. But given how much season will be played before this matchup, it's hard to say either team should be favored.

5. Auburn (Oct. 15)

FPI: 10; SP+: 22

Auburn had a dysfunctional start to its offseason, but there's still plenty of talent on the Plains. The Tigers' defense should be among the country's best and returning running backs Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter are a powerful one-two punch. The transfer exodus hurt Auburn, but not as much as you'd think.

4. Kentucky (Oct. 1)

FPI: 20; SP+: 20

Kentucky quarterback Will Levis is getting a lot of NFL Draft attention this offseason, but the Wildcats are much more than a team with a trendy quarterback. Watching Ole Miss' offense battle against a Kentucky defense led by former Rebels linebacker Jacquez Jones should be a treat.

3. at LSU (Oct. 22)

FPI: 11; SP+: 36

LSU is the only SEC team that built a transfer portal class anything like Ole Miss' this offseason. The Tigers still have a quarterback battle to sort out, but they're loaded at the skill positions and added pieces to shore up a defense that lost a lot of key contributors. So, in other words, they're a lot like Ole Miss.

2. at Texas A&M (Oct. 29)

FPI: 14; SP+: 8

Just imagine what Jimbo Fisher and Lane Kiffin might say in the build up to this one. Texas A&M's much-ballyhooed recruiting class gets its chance to go face-to-face with Ole Miss' impressive core of transfers. The Rebels got the best of the Aggies last year, but this trip to Kyle Field will be a tough one against a Texas A&M squad hoping to finally break through into the College Football Playoff.

1. Alabama (Nov. 12)

FPI: 1; SP+: 2

For what feels like the 300th year in a row, Alabama is the toughest team looming on Ole Miss' schedule. Surprise, surprise.

Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young returns, as does edge rusher Will Anderson, arguably the most dominant player in college football. The rest of the roster is loaded too. What else would anyone expect from the Crimson Tide?

Contact Nick Suss at 601-408-2674 or nsuss@gannett.com. Follow @nicksuss on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ranking Ole Miss football's 2022 opponents from easiest to best