The Troy Trojans and Ole Miss Rebels face off on Saturday in a Week 1 college football showdown at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Troy finished last season with a 5-7 record overall and they hope they really improve on that here. They made a coach change during the offseason but they still believe they have what it takes to win the Sun Belt conference. Last season the Troy running game was strong, but the passing could use some improvement, something they hope happens this season. Gunnar Watson will get the start under center, and they are going to need him to have a really big season here. If he has a big season, they can win the conference. On defense, Troy had the best pass rush in college football and that will need to continue the success here.
On the other side of this matchup is the Ole Miss Rebels whose team will look a lot different than last season. Ole Miss finished last season with a 10-3 record but gone is quarterback Matt Corral and those are big shoes to fill. The good news for Ole Miss is Lane Kiffin is an elite quarterback, who can make most quarterbacks look good. Luke Altmyer and Jaxson Dart have competed for the starting quarterback job and it’s unclear who is going to start here. Ole Miss’s defense last year was better but it was still ranked 97th in football and will need to be improved upon. The pass rush was the strength last season and could really wreak havoc here.
Troy is 2-5 against the spread in their last seven games against the SEC. The under is 8-0 in the Rebels last eight games overall. Ole Miss is 5-2 against the spread in their last seven games on grass. Troy is 15-4 in their last 19 games against the SEC.
The offensive line for Ole Miss is going to be an issue, and it’s going to allow Troy to stay in this game. The Trojans also have a good quarterback in Watson and he will find a little bit of offensive success. It might not be enough to pull the upset, but it’s going to be enough to keep this game close enough. Back Troy against the spread.
AUTHOR: Shane Mickle
Mitch's Take...
