No. 6 Mississippi

Coach: Houston Nutt
Record: 9-4 at Ole Miss, 1 year; 120-74 in 16 seasons overall
Last season: 9-4, 5-3 Southeastern
Bowl game: Defeated Texas Tech 47-34 in the Cotton Bowl.
Overview: Former Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron set the table for Houston Nutt, newly arrived from Arkansas. Orgeron, now the recruiting coordinator and defensive line coach at Tennessee, left Nutt with an abundance of talent, including offensive tackle Michael Oher and defensive tackle Peria Jerry, who were drafted back-to-back in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft.
Key returnees: QB Jevan Snead, Jr.; WR Dexter McCluster, Sr.; OT John Jerry, Sr.; K Joshua Shene, Sr.; DE Greg Hardy, Sr.; CB Marshay Green, Sr.
Why Mississippi is dangerous: Quarterback Jevan Snead, a Texas transfer, found a home at Ole Miss and in his first year at quarterback, passed for 2,762 yards and 26 touchdowns. Wide receivers Dexter McCluster and Shay Hodge had productive seasons. Kicker Joshua Shene has 42 career field goals, the most by a returning SEC kicker. Defensive end Greg Hardy had 8› sacks. Hardy had off-season foot surgery, then reinjured it in an auto accident, but is expected to be ready.
Why Mississippi is vulnerable: The Rebels have to replace first-round picks Oher and Jerry. Ole Miss also is not blessed with a lot of depth.
Prediction: The schedule is friendly. The Rebels have home games against Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee and LSU. There are potential stumbling blocks in road games against South Carolina and Auburn. Going undefeated in the regular season is not out of the question, although tough in the SEC.