There’s only 103 days until Ole Miss football is back

The Ole Miss women’s golf team and softball team were both eliminated from its respective championship tournaments, and now the countdown for fall football season can really crank up.

Oh yes, also as all Ole Miss fans know the baseball season was canceled after March 15. Nothing happened there the last two months. Still the defending champs for another month - wear your gear accordingly.

September 2 will be here before we know it, the Grove will be full of fans in eager anticipation of the Mercer Bears coming to collect its check and a loss. Head coach Lane Kiffin will run out of the tunnel with an offensive backfield that returns a ton of production and a new defensive coordinator in Pete Golding.

There’s some unanswered questions about how this team will come together going from a 4-2-5 defense to a 3-4 defense, and there’s some positions needing depth with only 103 days until the season begins. I have a feeling a few more transfer additions are coming in the next 30-45 days, but until we know those names and faces, the depth is thin and young in places.

2023 Ole Miss Football Schedule

• Mercer - Sept. 2
• at Tulane - Sept. 9
• Georgia Tech - Sept. 16
• at Alabama - Sept. 23
• LSU - Sept. 30
• Arkansas - Oct. 7
• at Auburn - Oct. 21
• Vanderbilt - Oct. 28
• Texas A&M - Nov. 4
• at Georgia - Nov. 11
• ULM - Nov. 18
• at Miss. State - Nov. 23

One of the good changes in last season’s schedule and this season is the bye week right in the middle of the season. Looking at the first six games, any untested or new players should get two games to get their feet under them with Mercer and Tulane (who graduated a ton of talent off their team).

Georgia Tech will come in with a new coach and most likely still remembering the 42-0 shutout in Atlanta last season. I think this will be the first game that could be a good challenge with Alabama looming the next week. We don’t know kickoff time yet either, which could end up being an interesting factor.

If Ole Miss could get to its bye week above .500, then it should be headed toward a nice bowl destination. If for some reason, the Rebels are sitting at 3-3 or worse then there will be a lot of pressure on the second half of the season to gel and reel off some wins.

Right now, I am anxious as hell the Rebels won’t get to seven or eight wins after the past few seasons of success. It’s clear Ole Miss has dedicated a lot of money and resources into the program to compete at a high level, but this season for some reason is giving me some weird vibes.

But I have a feeling once I read Phil Steele’s preseason magazine, the vibe is going to change completely. 103 days y’all.