Ole Miss football schedule: The Rebel ‘sandwich’ for the ’23 opponents

OXFORD, Miss. — Some media outlets have called the 2023 Ole Miss football schedule the toughest in the country.

That stands to reason. The Rebels play the defending national champions, defending SEC West champions, defending Cotton Bowl champions and the defending Sugar Bowl champions. Three of those games are on the road.

But, let’s take a look at the opponents on the Ole Miss schedule. Not just who they are, but who they play just before and just after the Rebels. 

It has interesting possibilities.

MERCER: Sept. 2 in Oxford

Mercer is probably best known for beating Duke in the first round of March Madness a few years ago. But that was basketball.

While the Bears will be the first game of the year for Ole Miss, Mercer will have a contest under its belt before heading to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The week prior, Mercer will be in Montgomery, Ala., to play North Alabama and Rebel fans can see that one on ESPN.

It will be pretty much a cakewalk for Mercer as UNA was 1-10 last season. After the Lions won many national titles in Division II, they made the choice to try to go to the Division I level. Perhaps not the brightest move. In D2, UNA not only won three straight national titles, it is still the home of the Harlan Hill Award, the Division II Heisman.

Of course, their alumni base includes George Lindsey and Winfred Sanderson. That’s right, Goober and Wimp.

After the Bears leave Oxford, Mercer gets a home game in Macon against Morehead State. The Bears should be 2-1 to start the season.

TULANE: Sept. 9 in New Orleans

The defending Sugar Bowl champs play South Alabama in their opener. Quarterback Michael Pratt is back, but his Green Wave should not sleep on USA in week one.

The Jaguars were recently picked to finish second in the Sun Belt west and a season ago, UCLA needed a last second field goal to beat the Jags in Pasadena. South also fell to an eventual 12-2 Troy team 10-6.

This program is for real.

The week after Tulane hosts Ole Miss, the Wave heads to the Magnolia State to play at Southern Miss.

USM was just over .500 last season, but did win the Lending Tree Bowl. And Hattiesburg is not the best environment for the Golden Eagles’ opponents to play.

Spoiler alert: If Tulane were to somehow beat Ole Miss, the game against Southern could be the Green Wave’s trap game.

GEORGIA TECH: Sept 16 in Oxford

Tech is a vastly improved team than the one Ole Miss routed last season. And the Yellow Jackets get a cupcake before getting real food in Oxford.

The Ramblin’ Wreck plays South Carolina State the week before visiting Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Yes, South Carolina State, not South Carolina.

No offense to the Bulldogs, but this is a scrimmage for Tech against a lower division school that finished 3-8 last season.

Georgia Tech stays on the road after the visit to Lafayette County, heading to Tobacco Road to play Wake Forest the next week. Sam Hartman may have left Wake to go to Notre Dame, but the Demon Deacons have weapons and this is a good Atlantic Conference match.

ALABAMA:  Sept. 23 in Tuscaloosa

Before Bama hosts the Rebels, the Tide goes to Tampa to play South Florida. Let’s face it, the Tide’s third string would be a 10-point favorite against USF.

The real question is how does Alabama react to the game a week earlier against Texas? If the Crimson Tide blows out UT, they will be on cloud nine. Should the Longhorns win — and after last season, Quinn Ewers will be motivated, how quickly can Nick Saban get his team to put this one in the rearview mirror?

After Ole Miss, the Tide gets an unknown in Mississippi State. With graduation and the transfer portal, teams lose a lot each year. The biggest loss in the SEC this year, however, is Mike Leach.

If the Bulldogs come out fighting, they could bloody Bama’s noses. If not, Saban and Company will have a rout.

LSU: September 30 in Oxford

The week before heading to Oxford, the Tigers get to chase K.J. Jefferson and Arkansas around the field in Baton Rouge.

The Hogs are a bit of an unknown, but with Jefferson and running back Rocket Sanders, Arkansas is explosive. At the very least, the Bayou Bengals should be pretty gassed after this one.

After playing the Rebels, LSU then travels to Columbia to take on Missouri. That will likely be a welcome sight to Brian Kelly’s Tigers after two consecutive week having to try and stop probably the two best backs in the conference, Sanders and Quinshon Judkins.

ARKANSAS: Oct. 7 in Oxford

The Razorbacks are the meat in the LSU-Ole Miss sandwich. It will also be the third consecutive week Arkansas will play on the road.

Before heading to Oxford, the Hogs go to Jerry World for a neutral site game with Texas A&M in Arlington. The Aggies are an enigma heading into the year, but at this point the Jimbo Fisher/Bobby Petrino situation should have settled, so this will not be an easy one for the Razorbacks.

Arkansas gets to stay on the road after playing in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium by going to Alabama. That is right, Sam Pittman’s crew gets Fisher one week, then Kiffin and then Nick Saban.

Not a lot of fun for the Razorbacks.

AUBURN: October 21 in Auburn

While the Rebels have an open week prior to this one, Auburn will be returning home from a trip to Baton Rouge. LSU is expected to be one of the top teams in the SEC West and Hugh Freeze will still be getting his feet wet on the plains when his old team comes calling.

Anyone want to guess the biggest topic will be that week in Freeze’s press conference?

Auburn keeps the Magnolia State welcome mat out the next week when Mississippi State appears on the schedule.

After back-to-back games against LSU and Ole Miss, Auburn will welcome a visit from the Bulldogs.

VANDERBILT: October 28 in Oxford

The Commodores get the week off before heading to Ole Miss. That is a good thing for Vandy as the week before that, Georgia is in Nashville. Clark Lea’s guys might need a week to heal after that one.

A week after the Ole Miss trip, Vanderbilt gets to welcome Auburn to Nashville. At this point in the season, Freeze’s system should be in place for the Tigers, so it is not a constructive three-game stretch for the Commodores.

TEXAS A&M: November 4 in Oxford

The Aggies have a sneaky one the week before heading to Ole Miss. South Carolina and Beamer Ball visit College Station. Shane Beamer has the Gamecocks on the upswing and if Spencer Rattler can develop some consistency, this will be a tough one for A&M.

If you think this one is a walk in the park, Clemson would like to offer some advice about how Carolina can play on the road.

Like Auburn, the Aggies get back-to-back Mississippi games as Mississippi State will then head to Kyle Field. By this point in the schedule, State’s Will Rogers should hold most of the Bulldogs’ passing records. If he has any marks left to break, look for him to push the A&M secondary all day long.

GEORGIA: November 11 in Athens

Missouri goes to Athens the week before the Rebels head there. Last season, the Tigers put the biggest SEC scare into UGA, but the Dawgs got out of CoMo with a win,

Chances are, Kirby Smart will not let his team take Mizzou as lightly as they did last season.

The week after Ole Miss gets tricky. My buddy Brian Haddad thinks the Rebels will be the trap game for Georgia. The week after, the Bulldogs go to Knoxville for the most-hyped SEC East game of the season.

Hey, last year in the preseason, Haddad predicted Tennessee would knock off Alabama in Neyland Stadium and he got that one right.

Two years in a row for Brian?

ULM: November 18 in Oxford

Monroe has to play Troy the week before the Warhawks head to Oxford. Troy finished 12-2 last year, won the Cure Bowl, returns a bunch of starters and is the preseason favorite to win the Sun Belt West.

It is also the last home game for Terry Bowden’s boys in Monroe for the season.

ULM finishes the season the next week at rival Louisiana in Lafayette. On the bright side, Warhawk fans can eat at Prejean’s — easily the best restaurant in the Sun Belt.

On the downside, Louisiana is getting its act together for the first time since Billy Napier left the Ragin’ Cajuns for Florida.

MISSISSIPPI STATE: November 23 in Starkville

State does something this season that has not been done in a long time. The Bulldogs play the other FBS teams in the state in consecutive games.

The Saturday before Thanksgiving, MSU hosts Southern Miss before the Rebels come to town the next Thursday.

State had better not sleep on the Golden Eagles. They still have Frank Gore, Jr., and a name Rebel fans will remember, M.J. Daniels.

The aftermath of the game will depend on how the players respond to new coach Zach Arnett and his staff after succeeding Mike Leach.

Either the Bulldogs will be prepping for a bowl game, or it will be a late-night turkey sandwich and looking forward to winter workouts.