Ole Miss surprised most casual observers by beating Alabama last season on its way to an impressive 7-0 start and national ranking inside the Top 3 by late October.

But we saw the Rebels’ memorable win in Oxford that highlighted a nine-win campaign anchored by one of the nation’s best defenses coming from a mile away, the culmination of attention to detail and strenuous determination that Hugh Freeze has brought since his arrival.

Will Ole Miss have repeat success this fall? Can the Rebels take it one step further and win the SEC West by avoiding a late-season slide?

Highlighted by three primary points, we make the case for this division darkhorse getting to Atlanta in December:

Elite-level pass rush — It’s not far-fetched to think Robert Nkemdiche could be the nation’s best player at defensive tackle by season’s end, certainly the most disruptive as the focal point of a defensive line without a weakness. Ole Miss led college football in scoring defense last fall at 16 points per game, giving up just 24 total touchdowns (three fewer than LSU by SEC standards) thanks to its depth in the trenches.

Replacing three players along the defensive line is manageable for Freeze’s team due to specialists assuming more important roles this fall, including Marquis Haynes and Woodrow Hamilton. Despite only four starts, Haynes led Ole Miss in sacks (7.5) and tackles-for-loss (9.0) as a situational edge rusher. The sophomore could handle a three-down role for Dave Wommack’s defense with a steady showing during August camp. The inside-outside combo of senior end Fadol Brown and JUCO transfer D.J. Jones at the point of attack provides depth at the most crucial level of the defense.

Playmakers on offense — Largely unnoticed during last year’s run thanks to a star-filled defense, Ole Miss made waves offensively in the receiving game despite largely inconsistent play under center and a backfield that often struggled to find a rhythm between the tackles. We’re talking about future first-round pick Laquon Treadwell, the prototype No. 1 target on third down along with Mackey Award candidate Evan Engram at tight end and Cody Core on the opposite side. Core caught 41 passes for 558 yards and six touchdowns as a relatively unknown junior last fall, emerging as a reliable threat in the passing game. He’ll have the opportunity to increase his production with a new quarterback (either Chad Kelly or Ryan Buchanan) since most defenses will center their coverages on stopping Treadwell and Engram over the middle.

Strong offensive line — The common denominator in most double-digit win regular seasons (often needed to win the West) is above-average play at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football. We’ve already mentioned the Rebels’ All-American laced defensive front, but the offensive line is equally talented if it can stay injury-free. Led by potential No. 1 pick Laremy Tunsil at left tackle, Ole Miss returns all five starters including four seniors and two additional heavy-snap backups within a group that hasn’t yet reached its maximum level of dominance.

In actuality, the Rebels’ offensive front has underachieved during Freeze’s tenure, one of the reasons quarterback Bo Wallace was placed on his back more than any other Western Division passer since the start of the 2012 campaign. Freeze recently told The Clarion-Ledger that he thought it would take three recruiting classes to get the level of depth needed up front to compete for a title in the SEC and the Rebels are there now, it’s just a matter of executing and staying healthy.