Nick Saban Identifies Five Programs That Can Win The SEC: Ole Miss Football In?

Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels are navigating the final phase of the offseason in Oxford with the program working through Fall Camp.

After dominating the offseason, Kiffin and Co. reeled in the No. 1 Transfer Portal Class in America with double-digit immediate impact newcomers.

Now, with the 2025 season inching closer, all eyes are on the Ole Miss program after coming in at No. 15 in the Preseason Coaches Poll.

College football icon Nick Saban identified five programs that can compete for the Southeastern Conference Championship heading into the upcoming season.

Which teams made the cut?

“I think Texas is one of the teams that obviously is really, really good this year,” Saban said Tuesday, according to CBS Sports’ Alex Scarborough.

“I think LSU has got a shot to be really good. I think Florida’s got a shot to be really good. I think Alabama and Georgia both have a shot to be really good. So I think there’s a lot of sort of top-end good teams.”

For Ole Miss, it's another challenging schedule heading into the 2025 season where Saban believes there's a "disadvantage" to playing in the conference.

“It gets to be a little bit of a disadvantage, because you get penalized for losses more in college football than you (get rewarded) for strength of schedule, which was unfortunate for Alabama last year in terms of getting in the Playoffs” Saban said, according to Scarborough.

“But hopefully we’ll get that fixed and work together to try to do it in the future, so that strength of schedule becomes an important part of how you get selected to get the playoffs. And you shouldn’t get penalized for playing in a championship. So hopefully all those things will come to fruition.”

Ole Miss heads into the 2025 season with a focus on Week 1 against the Georgia State Panthers at Vaught Hemingway Stadium to open the year.

For Kiffin and Co., it's set to be a new-look roster in Oxford with Austin Simmons set to lineup under center and carry the torch from Jaxson Dart.