Paul Finebaum Names SEC Team With a ‘Real Shot’ of Making the Playoffs for the First Time originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The 2024 college football season marked the first time that six teams made the playoff in their program’s history. Now, several other programs aim to join that elite group in 2025.
One of those teams is the Ole Miss Rebels, who finished last season with a record of 10-3 but narrowly missed the playoff under head coach Lane Kiffin. The upcoming 2025 season could be their chance, but a significant challenge lies ahead: replacing all the key players lost from last year’s roster.
The most notable loss is quarterback Jaxson Dart, who had an impressive season with 4,279 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and only six interceptions, while completing 69.3% of his passes. His outstanding performance earned him a first-round selection by the New York Giants in the 2025 NFL draft.
The defense also faced considerable losses, returning only 45% of its production, which ranks 104th in the nation. This comes after a strong season in which they were ranked No. 14 in total defense, No. 2 in rush defense and No. 2 in scoring defense.
A key contributor to that defense was defensive tackle Walter Nolen, who ended the season with 14 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks before being drafted in the first round by the Arizona Cardinals. Additionally, Ole Miss will be without five of its top six sack leaders from last season.
Despite these losses, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum revealed on his show, “The Paul Finebaum Show,” that he is optimistic about the Rebels.
“I think Ole Miss has a chance of being undefeated going to Georgia,” Finebaum said. “Now, I say that knowing Lane Kiffin has a propensity of blowing games early. If he can avoid that, I think he’s got a real shot at making the playoffs.”
Finebaum believes that Ole Miss needs to be cautious, as the LSU Tigers will present a challenge early in the season. However, he considers the other early games to be winnable.
He also points out that how Kiffin navigates the series of road games against Alabama and Oklahoma, as well as the home games against South Carolina and Florida toward the end of the season, could significantly impact the team’s success.
ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) is a measure of team strength designed to be a reliable predictor of a team’s future performance. The FPI holds a favorable view of the Rebels this season.
It ranks Ole Miss as the No. 13 team in the country, making them the No. 7 team in the SEC, and forecasts an 8-4 record for the season. Additionally, the Rebels have a 30.7% chance of making the playoffs, which ranks as the sixth-best odds in the conference.
The Rebels are set to kick off their season against Georgia State on Aug. 30 at 7:45 p.m. ET.
Related: Paul Finebaum Changes His Stance on Underrated SEC Contender
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
