The Ole Miss Rebels are 4-1 and reeling after a gutting 38-10 upset loss in Gainesville to the Florida Gators. Regardless, everything is still plenty up in the air as Ole Miss navigates through the next two months of the 2015 campaign. Here's 5 Things That Will Decide The Remainder Of The Ole Miss Rebels' Season.
1. Injuries In House
The Ole Miss defense has been hit by a rash of injuries, and that's led to fatigue all across the unit throughout the first few weeks of the season. In order for the "Land Shark" defense to maintain maximum effectiveness, Ole Miss will need to get and stay healthy for the October-November run.
2. Injuries Out Of House
All seasons in the SEC are partially defined, not just by injuries in house, but out-of-house injuries as well. We're not calling it luck if Ole Miss runs across a team besieged by injuries. That's not respectful of all kids who put their bodies on the line. However, how Ole Miss fares is always going to be tied to just who they are lining up against on Saturdays (and who they're not lining up against.)
3. Late October - End Of Season
Here's Ole Miss' final five games -- Texas A&M, at Auburn, Arkansas, LSU, at Mississippi State. Ole Miss is lucky enough to get LSU at home, but that's still a brutal closing stretch all together. A 5-0 run through that portion of the schedule should secure AT LEAST a New Year's Six bowl, all things considered.
4. Chad Kelly
Kelly has stayed out of the off-the-field spotlight so far in his time at Ole Miss, and that's fantastic news in the wake of his 2014 dismissal from the Clemson Tigers football program for "conduct detrimental to the team." From an on-the-field perspective, Kelly was more than just a little inconsistent in the team's humilation at Florida this past Saturday. If Kelly can figure out a way to balance aggression with sound decision making for the rest of the year, Ole Miss can bounce back. If not, there's more upsets coming down the turnpike.
5. Bounce Back Capability
The true test of Huge Freeze's team will be how they respond to dropping 11 spots in the AP Poll and out of the College Football Playoff conversation (for now). A home game against New Mexico State and a road game at Memphis provide an opportunity for the Rebels to get their bearing. If they do that, they'll be able to shake off this past Saturday's blowout.
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