5. Ole Miss Rebels
Has there been a more surprising team in the nation this year than Ole Miss? Sure, the Rebels might not be ranked in the national top-25 but I do not think many would have expected the Rebels to stand at 10-2 at the end of non-conference play. Remember, this same team was picked to finish dead-last in the SEC by media in the preseason. At this point in time, though, it certainly seems like the Rebels will be competing as a bubble team throughout the rest of this year.
And while they lack “resume-building” wins, they also do not have any crushing losses. Their only two defeats to date came away from home against Butler and Cincinnati. With SEC play coming up, Ole Miss has plenty of opportunities for high-quality wins left on the schedule. Head coach Kermit Davis has done an outstanding job motivating this roster in his first year at the helm of the program and the players have responded well. Most notably, guards Breein Tyree and Terence Davis have taken on leadership roles offensively.
The Rebels only competed in one game this past week but it was a dominating performance over Florida Gulf Coast. They wound up taking care of business in that game by 30 points as the team finished non-conference play with an undefeated home record. Can they continue this dominance in front of their home crowd in SEC play?