Fact or Fiction: Ole Miss, Mike Leach, Ohio State
National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
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FACT OR FICTION: Billy Bowman will end up at Oklahoma
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
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1. Ole Miss will be the third best team in the SEC West by next season.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. Ole Miss looks solid, especially on offense, but there is so much to do on defense and recruiting has been average since Lane Kiffin took over so I’m not ready to slot the Rebels ahead of Auburn or Texas A&M and behind Alabama and LSU just yet. And I know LSU looks awful so far this season but we all know the Tigers will reload and be back next season while Alabama isn’t going anywhere.
But what about Auburn and Texas A&M? Based on recruiting, I still think one of the two will stay ahead of Kiffin moving forward. Ole Miss is fun to watch and this is a hopeful sign, but let’s pump the brakes a bit.
Gorney’s take: FACT. I have not been a big Kiffin fan in the past because I thought his standing did not match up with his immature behavior, but one thing has been made clear in recent years: Kiffin can coach offense and that means the Rebels are always going to be in contention.
There is a possibility Ole Miss could be the third-best team in that division or possibly the worst team in that division and such is life sometimes in the SEC. The margin of error is so small but if all those offensive weapons come back - and the defense can figure something out - Ole Miss can be tough to beat.
When it comes to how Kiffin is constructing his roster, I’m not sure team recruiting rankings are going to be all that important. He has a system, he will find athletes to fit that system and away Ole Miss goes. The early-season schedule could not have been more brutal and Ole Miss, even at 1-2, has been impressive.
2. Mike Leach’s offense at Mississippi State has already been figured out.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. Kentucky absolutely shut down Mike Leach’s offense and K.J. Costello threw four interceptions while Mississippi State looked just awful. But that doesn’t mean they’ve been figured out and you know Leach will make adjustments and we’ll see a few 40-point games from the offense moving forward. Everyone said Leach’s offense wouldn’t work in the SEC but it worked against LSU and it will put up numbers against other quality teams this season as well. This was a blip.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. The Kentucky game was a mess from every aspect but I’m going to take a positive take and say that Leach’s offense has a way of righting itself after bad performances and Mississippi State will be fine. The problem is the schedule doesn’t get much easier from here so it’s crucial for Leach and the team to steal wins when they can - like against Arkansas or going to Kentucky and not laying an egg.
The SEC is brutal every week so bad showings can kill a team. But the Bulldogs are still averaging more than 400 passing yards per game and six receivers have double-digit catches and four others should get to that number this week. Leach’s offense works and it will work at Mississippi State as well.
3. Ohio State looks like the only challenge for Clemson.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. This may sound like an odd statement since the Buckeyes haven’t played a game, but look at it this way. Alabama’s defense looks very average, Oklahoma is out, Georgia has a quarterback who isn’t proven yet and the Pac-12 has no one that can threaten Clemson. So does it all come down to Ohio State?
Not so fast. Alabama is still the team to beat in the SEC and it will show that against Georgia. No one will be able to stop their offense with all those playmakers. Clemson is amazing and could easily win it all this year and they have Ohio State’s number, so to me Alabama is the biggest threat to Clemson.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Clemson deserves to be ranked No. 1 but Ohio State is not the only challenge for the Tigers moving forward. However, the list is really not that long and it looks like Clemson could sleepwalk through the rest of its ACC schedule, at least until Notre Dame in early November. But Alabama still has so many weapons and its defense will improve. Georgia’s defense is going to keep it in every game. And the Buckeyes are going to be great once they start playing, but so should Penn State in the Big Ten. I wouldn’t completely count out Oregon in the Pac-12, either. Ohio State is probably the biggest challenger, but not the only one.