Steve Spurrier sees Ole Miss as top team in the SEC

Five weeks into the season, there has not been any kind of separation atop the SEC. Plenty of teams can make the argument for being the conference’s top team. Folks in Oxford might put together a pretty strong case fresh off a victory against LSU on Saturday afternoon in Vaught Hemingway Stadium.

Ole Miss has at least one person backing them up, Steve Spurrier. After watching the Rebels win, the legendary head coach said they are the top team currently in the SEC. Big praise from somebody who holds plenty of experience in this realm.

“They’re top of the SEC right now, I would say,” Spurrier said.

When it comes to the actual standings, there is no debate about the SEC’s top team. Ole Miss already has three conference wins under its belt, the third of which came on Saturday. No other team even has two at the moment but is set to change in the coming weeks. The schedule was front-loaded with tests and Lane Kiffin‘s squad passed them all.

None bigger than taking down LSU. While there might have been evident struggles with the Tigers, Ole Miss still did a great job shutting down the offense, led by Garrett Nussmeier. LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan put the game in his quarterback’s hands and Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding‘s unit responded incredibly. Something we said plenty back in 2024 when plenty of NFL talent was on the roster. This type of performance gives hope of what can come.

“Listen, Lane Kiffin never disappoints,” ESPN’s Paul Finebaum said on Sunday. “This was a big week for him with the E:60 and he delivered. Beating Lane Kiffin in Oxford has become nearly impossible … They’re in great shape.”

Three other teams also got mentioned by Spurrier as potential candidates — Missouri, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt. There is not too much overlap between those four, weirdly enough. Eli Drinkwitz gets to line his team up against Texas A&M and Missouri. But Ole Miss misses all three of them.

But he is still rolling with Ole Miss for the time being. The next couple of weeks might see them fade in the national conversation a bit, getting a bye week before hosting Washington State. However, Oct. 18 might prove to be another test to see if Spurrier’s prediction is right. Ole Miss goes between the hedges for an anticipated rematch against Georgia.