Opinion: Phil Steele’s 2025 Poll Left Out Wrong SEC Team

OXFORD, Miss. — The Ole Miss Rebels enter the 2025 college football season ranked No. 26 in Phil Steele’s preseason poll, just outside the top 25. While Steele’s rankings are a respected benchmark, this placement undervalues a Rebels team poised for another strong season under head coach Lane Kiffin. With a favorable schedule, a talented roster, and emerging quarterback Austin Simmons, Ole Miss is far better than an unranked squad. Phil Steele’s 2025 poll had a rare miss here, in my humble opinion. It’s Phil Steele season, folks!

This is what talking season is meant for! Let me convince you why the Rebels are a Top 20 team, contrary to what Phil Steele’s 2025 poll says.

In 2024, Ole Miss finished 11-3, capped by a 52-20 rout of Duke in the Gator Bowl. Their three losses—against Kentucky at home (20-17), and LSU (29-26 in overtime) and Florida (24-17) on the road—were all by a single score. In 2025, two of those opponents, Florida and LSU, will play in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, turning tough road games into home matchups. Even if the Rebels drop road games at Georgia and Oklahoma, a 10-2 or 11-3 record is within reach, matching or approaching last season’s success.

Steele’s ranking overlooks the Rebels’ schedule advantages. Hosting Florida and LSU in Oxford significantly boosts their outlook, as does a home game against Georgia, a team they upset 28-10 last season. A road trip to Kentucky, coming off a 4-8 season and breaking in a new quarterback, should be winnable after last year’s surprising home loss to the Wildcats. The non-conference slate, including home games against Georgia State, Washington State, and Furman, offers a soft landing before SEC play intensifies. Ole Miss’s 2025 schedule, with seven home games, is among the most manageable in the SEC.

The 2025 season is wide open, with no dominant national favorite. Ole Miss, with its depth and coaching, is too talented to sit outside the top 25. Kiffin, a master of the transfer portal, has reloaded the defense with edge rushers like Princewill Umanmielen from Nebraska and Da’Shawn Womack from LSU, complementing returning star Suntarine Perkins. The offense hinges on redshirt sophomore quarterback Austin Simmons, who takes over for first-round NFL draft pick Jaxson Dart. Simmons, a former four-star recruit with 35-1 Heisman odds, showed promise in limited action last season, including a key role in the Georgia upset. His dual-threat ability could keep defenses off balance, potentially matching Dart’s production in Kiffin’s quarterback-friendly system.

Steele’s No. 26 ranking feels overly conservative for a team with Ole Miss’s potential. With a favorable home schedule and Kiffin’s track record of three 10-win seasons in four years, the Rebels are built for a playoff push. If Simmons delivers and Ole Miss avoids a repeat of last year’s Kentucky stumble, a 10-2 or 11-3 record is achievable, making them a serious contender in a wide-open 2025 season.