You did win 8 games, but you could have just as easily won 5 games as you could have won 8+ (Vandy and LSU).
Since you want to play this game....
If you want to say we could have won 5, then reasonable assumption in the opposite direction is that we could have easily won 10 if a few breaks go our way. Lost by 3 to Texas A&M on a last second FG, and missed a FG (in 1st or 2nd Q) that would have actually won the game against MSU. That's 10. Take an INT away for TD against AU and it's 11 we COULD have won. Did we win them? No. But we did win 8 (with bowl).
Just as easily, State could have been at 2 wins. 1 point win at home vs BG. Game-saving tackle by Markett against UK. 4th Q meltdown by ARK. Missed FG by Ole Miss. That leaves you at possibly 2 wins, which is just as likely as your posted scenario.
And you say that Hugh Freeze has outperformed Houston Nutt so far in his career?
Absolutely. Took a roster with limited talent, no depth, attitude issues, and 23 ineligible players and won 7 and 8 games in his first two years after of the worst two seasons in Ole Miss history with Nutt. He started 5 true freshmen (LT, WR, TE, S, OG) at premium positions.
Nutt took a team with two first round draft picks (Oher, P Jerry) and multiple other early round picks (McCluster, Lewis, Wallace, J Jerry) and won 9 games twice. He failed to replace the talent he inherited and ultimately failed miserably. Freeze has not only already replaced what little talent Nutt left, but has increasingly upgraded it, with five 5-star players in two full classes (Taylor, Nkemdiche, Tunsil, Treadwell, Conner.....Nutt had 3 in 4 years, two of those JUCOs, none of Freeze's are JUCO), a Top 10 class (Nutt or Orgeron never did this) and a Top 20 class (Nutt did this twice in 4 years, once because he signed 37 players). Freeze has far outpaced Nutt, it's not even close.