College Game Of The Week: Ole Miss vs. University of Florida
As we make our way into the third week of conference matchups, we’re starting to get a better look at the playoff picture. Some teams have faltered and others have risen to the occasion. This week, we are looking at two of the latter: #3 Ole Miss Rebels vs. #25 Florida Gators.
The Rebels and the Gators are both undefeated and are coming off of big wins against rival teams last week. The Rebels dominated Vanderbilt 27-16, while the Gators barely topped Tennessee 28-27 for the 11th consecutive time. The Gators have crept into the AP Top 25 poll for the first time since 2013, and Ole Miss has been sitting in the top five since their huge win over Alabama – by far their toughest opponent – a couple of weeks ago. Florida has yet to face a team of Ole Miss’ stature, so having the Rebels travel down to The Swamp is going to be working overtime in Florida’s favor.
The Gators have suffered a rough couple of years: they haven’t been ranked since 2013, and their last BCS Championship appearance was in 2008 when Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin were star players. Since head coach Urban Meyer left the Gators in 2010, Will Muschamp took over the reins but failed to execute consistent wins. After the Gators suffered their worst season since 1979, Muschamp was released mid-season last year. This is the first full season under McElwain’s control and so far he’s proving to be a good fit for Florida with a 4-0 record.
The biggest matchup is going to be between the Rebels' offense – led by Laquon Treadwell, who has 22 catches and Quincy Adeboyejo, who has 5 touchdowns – and Florida’s secondary, featuring Vernon Hargreaves III, who has two interceptions this season.
Ole Miss is definitely the favorite to win, but Florida shouldn’t be written off, especially with home field advantage.
Other games on Sling TV this weekend:
Miami at Cincinnati, 7:30pm Thursday, ESPN
Alabama State at Texas Southern, 7:30pm Thursday, ESPNU
Memphis at South Florida, 7pm Friday, ESPN2
Connecticut at BYU, 10:15pm Friday, ESPN2
South Carolina at Missouri, 12pm Saturday, SEC Network
Army at Penn State, 12pm Saturday, ESPNU
Iowa at Wisconsin, 12pm Saturday, ESPN
Purdue at Michigan State, 12pm Saturday, ESPN2
North Carolina at Georgia Tech, 3:30pm Saturday, ESPNU
Eastern Michigan at LSU, 7pm Saturday, ESPNU
Florida State at Wake Forest, 3:30pm Saturday ESPN
Hawaii at Boise State, 10:15pm Saturday, ESPN2
Oregon at Colorado, 10pm Saturday, ESPN
San Jose at Auburn, 4pm Saturday, SEC Network
Ole Miss at Florida, 7pm Saturday, ESPN
Arkansas at Tennessee, 7pm Saturday, ESPN2
Mississippi State at Texas A&M, 7:30pm Saturday, SEC Network