Paul Finebaum Believes Ole Miss is 'Legitimate' National Title Contender in 2024

The Ole Miss Rebels have gained plenty of hype this offseason, and you can add SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum to their list of admirers.

Finebaum was the guest speaker at the Memphis Touchdown Club gathering on Monday night, and one of his talking points centered on the expansion of the College Football Playoff and the expectation for the Southeastern Conference in this new era of college football. With the league itself expanding to include 16 teams with the advent of Oklahoma and Texas, the conference should have plenty of representation in this 12-team postseason model.

“You could possibly even lose three games and make the playoffs, if you lose early and then score a big win late,” Finebaum said, according to DeSoto County News. “So it’s a completely different dynamic, but I think three to four (SEC teams) is a conservative estimate for teams in the playoffs.”

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His expectation for title contenders includes the Rebels. Finebaum believes that Ole Miss is about to field a level of team that Oxford hasn't seen since the 1960s, and the sky could be the limit for Lane Kiffin and company.

“I absolutely expect Ole Miss to be in the playoffs," Finebaum said, via WREG in Memphis. "I think this is the best Ole Miss team maybe since the 60s and Johnny Vaught. I mean, I think we’re going back in time to find anything that comes close to this.

“I think Ole Miss is a legitimate national championship team. I mean, I think the playoffs to me, absolutely and after that, it is a wild card. But I mean, they have an incredible team there.”

The Rebels seem to have a favorable SEC schedule this season, despite playing host to the Georgia Bulldogs and traveling to face the LSU Tigers. Ole Miss avoids Alabama and Auburn in its conference slate, and it will open the season at home on Aug. 31 against the FCS Furman Paladins.