You know, looking back at the Ole Miss schedule 2024, it’s kinda wild how much the narrative shifted from August to January. Everyone started the year talking about a "cake walk" and ended it realizing that the SEC, as usual, doesn't care about your preseason expectations.
Lane Kiffin basically built a fantasy football roster through the portal. He went out and got Walter Nolen, Juice Wells, and Princely Umanmielen. On paper? Unstoppable. In reality? A rollercoaster that had Rebel fans checking their blood pressure every Saturday in October.
The Early Season Mirage
September was... well, it was a bloodbath. If you just looked at the scores from the first four games, you’d think Ole Miss was playing a different sport than everyone else.
They opened against Furman and hung 76 points on them. 76. I mean, Jaxson Dart was out there looking like a Heisman frontrunner before the third quarter even started. Then they rolled Middle Tennessee (52-3), Wake Forest (40-6), and Georgia Southern (52-13).
Honestly, it might have been too easy.
The Rebels were outscoring people 220-22 over the first month. It felt like they were invincible. But as any SEC veteran will tell you, the "non-con" schedule is a dangerous liar.
When the SEC Reality Hit
Then came September 28th. Kentucky visited Oxford for Homecoming.
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Most people expected another blowout. Instead, we got a 20-17 wake-up call that silenced Vaught-Hemingway. The offense that looked like a Ferrari in September suddenly looked like it was stuck in a mud pit. Kentucky's defense squeezed the life out of the passing game, and for the first time, we saw that this "superteam" could be rattled.
The schedule didn't get any kinder. Two weeks later, the Rebels headed to Death Valley. Playing LSU at night is basically a horror movie for visiting teams. Ole Miss led most of the way, but they couldn't close the door. They lost 29-26 in overtime.
Suddenly, the 4-0 start was a 5-2 record, and people were already writing off their Playoff hopes.
The Game That Changed Everything
If you want to understand the Ole Miss schedule 2024, you have to look at November 9th.
Georgia came to town. The Bulldogs were the gold standard. Kirby Smart doesn't lose these kinds of games. But on a rainy, chaotic afternoon, the Rebels' "Portal King" defense finally showed up. They sacked Carson Beck five times. They forced turnovers. They looked like the more physical team.
Ole Miss won 28-10. It wasn't just a win; it was a statement that Kiffin’s vision actually worked when the lights were brightest.
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The Weird Ending and the Gator Bowl
Of course, in true Ole Miss fashion, they couldn't just cruise to the finish. A head-scratching 24-17 loss to Florida in the Swamp almost derailed the whole season again.
But they took care of business in the Egg Bowl, beating Mississippi State 26-14 to keep the trophy in Oxford. That game was huge for Jaxson Dart, who officially passed Eli Manning as the school’s all-time passing yardage leader. Think about that for a second. More yards than Eli.
They finished the year in Jacksonville at the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against Duke. It wasn't the New Year's Six game they wanted, but they played like they had a point to prove.
The Rebels dismantled Duke 52-20.
By the Numbers: How the 2024 Season Shook Out
If you're just looking for the raw results to settle a bet or check a stat, here is how the path looked:
- Aug 31: vs Furman (W 76-0)
- Sep 7: vs Middle Tennessee (W 52-3)
- Sep 14: at Wake Forest (W 40-6)
- Sep 21: vs Georgia Southern (W 52-13)
- Sep 28: vs Kentucky (L 17-20)
- Oct 5: at South Carolina (W 27-3)
- Oct 12: at LSU (L 26-29, OT)
- Oct 26: vs Oklahoma (W 26-14)
- Nov 2: at Arkansas (W 63-31)
- Nov 9: vs Georgia (W 28-10)
- Nov 23: at Florida (L 17-24)
- Nov 29: vs Mississippi State (W 26-14)
- Jan 2: vs Duke (W 52-20)
Finish: 10-3 overall, 5-3 in the SEC.
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What We Learned About Kiffin’s Rebels
The 2024 season proved that Lane Kiffin has officially raised the floor in Oxford. Back-to-back 10-win seasons used to be a pipe dream for this program. Now, it’s almost expected.
Jaxson Dart ended the year with 4,279 passing yards and 29 touchdowns. He’s arguably the most productive QB in the history of the school now. Tre Harris was a monster when healthy, racking up over 1,000 yards despite missing time.
But the real story was the defense. Under Pete Golding, they actually became a unit that could win games when the offense went cold. Holding Georgia to 10 points? That doesn't happen by accident.
Actionable Insights for the 2025 Cycle
If you’re following the Rebels into the next season, keep these three things in mind based on the 2024 trends:
The Portal is the Lifeblood Kiffin isn't going to stop. Watch the spring transfer window closely. He prioritizes defensive line depth and explosive wideouts. If they lose a starter, they don't develop—they replace.
Watch the Road Games The losses to LSU and Florida showed that Ole Miss still struggles with the "hostile environment" factor. When looking at future schedules, circle the mid-tier road games. Those are the trap doors for this program.
Health is the X-Factor The offense looked completely different when Tre Harris was out. The 2024 campaign proved that while the starters are elite, the depth at skill positions can be thin if the injury bug bites.
The Ole Miss schedule 2024 was a wild ride that cemented the Rebels as a top-15 mainstay, even if they didn't quite reach the Playoff summit this time around.