The Lede: Rebels on the Ropes
Don’t have time to read through 1,000 words, but need some informed betting tips? Here’s a quick rundown on today’s biggest sports story, and how it impacts the way you should bet. Missed yesterday’s? See it here.
Ole Miss Self-Imposes One-Year Postseason Ban
After receiving a new notice of allegations from the NCAA, which includes 21 potential rule violations, the Ole Miss football program has self-imposed a one-year postseason ban. Athletic director Ross Bjork obviously agreed with some of the allegations, but the school does intend to fight the majority.
Rumors of these allegations were swirling around on national signing day. As a result, the Rebels missed out on a number of highly-touted recruits. According to Rivals, Ole Miss’ recruiting class ranked just 39th in the nation. Per 247sports, the Rebels’ class was third-worst in the SEC.
These “penalties” likely will not be enough for the NCAA, though. Head coach Hugh Freeze could face a suspension, scholarships could be surrendered, and the one-year postseason ban may be extended. With a lot of uncertainty surrounding the program and its future, players could start to transfer. No one wants to enter a season with the knowledge that they have zero chance of winning a championship. Pro-caliber players want to showcase themselves on the biggest stage and be a part of a winning program. This doesn’t seem possible at Ole Miss right now.
How should this affect your betting strategies? Well, my money would be on Ole Miss to finish last in the SEC West for a second straight season. And it may be a long time before the Rebels are competitive again.
After working in TV, Matt turned his focus towards numbers, specifically odds. He has been with us since 2016 and serves as SBD's Editor-in-Chief, credited with creating our futures trackers, SBD's score predictor, SBD Sharp, and his own model for calculating NFL SOS, among other products.
