Can Ole Miss Finally Topple a Top 5 Team?

The Ole Miss Rebels have a shot to do something they haven’t accomplished in nearly a decade when they play at Georgia on Saturday. The Bulldogs are No. 1 in the Associated Press poll and No. 2 in the NCAA College Football Playoff rankings.

That feat of note is beating a Top 5 team, which the Rebels haven’t done since they upset Alabama, 43-37, in 2015 under then coach Hugh Freeze. Rebels fans will have to find a casino in the state Saturday to place a wager, though, as online Mississippi sports betting is not yet legal.

Since that night, the Rebels have lost 10 consecutive games against Top 5 competition, with two five-point defeats at the hands of the Crimson Tide representing the closest Ole Miss has come to success.

ESPN Bet lists Ole Miss as a 10.5-point underdog against Georgia. BetMississippi.com broke down how the Rebels have fared against Top 5 opponents since 2010.

Ole Miss Vs. Top 5 Teams

Year	Results
2021	Lost to Alabama, 42-21
2020	Lost to Florida, 51-35; Lost to Alabama, 63-48
2019	Lost to Alabama, 59-31; Lost to LSU, 58-37
2018	Lost to Alabama, 62-7; Lost to LSU, 45-16
2017	Lost to Alabama, 66-3
2016	Lost to Alabama, 48-43; Lost to Florida State, 45-34
2015	Beat Alabama, 43-37
2014	Beat Alabama, 23-17; Lost to Auburn, 35-31,Beat Mississippi State (31-17)
2013	Lost to Alabama, 25-0
2012	Lost to Alabama, 33-14
2011	Lost to Alabama, 52-7; Lost to LSU, 52-3
2010	Lost to Auburn, 51-31; Lost to LSU, 43-36
Total	3-17 (.150)

Tough Road Ahead for Ole Miss, Kiffin

The Rebels and coach Lane Kiffin are looking to avenge what’s become a common trope in Oxford, their inability to step up to the plate and knock out a top-tier team when the opportunity arises. Earlier this year, we looked at Kiffin’s record against the spread in the SEC.

Ole Miss flopped against No. 13 Alabama, 24-10, for its only loss this season. Overall, the Rebels have lost 17 of their last 20 showdowns against teams ranked in the Top 5. Their only wins came against Alabama in 2014 and 2015 and then-No. 4 Mississippi State in 2014.

On Saturday night, Kiffin’s team will have a shot at ending Georgia’s 36-game regular season win streak between the hedges in Athens. Ole Miss is also looking to pull off its second straight win over the Bulldogs. The Rebels soundly defeated Georgia, 45-14, in their last meeting in 2016. That also was their first win over UGA since 1996.

We’ll know more come Saturday night, but for now, Kiffin and company have a massive challenge trying to get Ole Miss in position to compete against a scorching hot Georgia team that’s looking to “three-peat” as national champs.