Ole Miss proves what we all knew all along

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

It was the worst-kept secret in football, but the Rebels were bound and determined to try to keep fooling everyone.

But the truth finally came out. Mississippi is a fraud.

Based solely on the promise of talent and two wins over hapless teams, the Rebels were never ranked lower than eighth in the AP poll and anyone outside the state was wondering how it could be.

Now Ole Miss has been exposed. Some will claim that South Carolina is an up-and-coming team in the SEC and still others will say that any team in the SEC has to be considered dangerous. Neither of which are actually true.

USC did give Georgia all they could handle and beat Mississippi, but also had a great deal of trouble with North Carolina State in an ugly 7-3 game and Florida Atlantic even had them nervous.

Ole Miss, and specifically quarterback Jevan Snead, is overrated. In fact, some of Snead's worst games in his career have come against teams that were considered extreme underdogs.

Bottom line is this - with a game on the line and a chance to win, good teams find a way. Ole Miss did not. After scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter to even make it a game, the Rebs were unable to capitalize on two more possessions in the final frame and squandered them. They looked most inept on their final drive, where an illegal substitution of all things was the final nail in the coffin, eliminating any real shot at a first down to prolong the drive with 1:22 remaining.

Great teams don't make those mistakes when the game is in the balance. And with that, Ole Miss proved it is not a great team.