Ninth-ranked Ole Miss has yet to lose a game and even though some doubted its ability to keep things rolling after it opened SEC play, it has proven the skeptics wrong to this point and is favored to continue doing so as it goes up against Auburn on Saturday afternoon in Oxford.

The Rebels are 2-touchdown favorites over the Tigers for a reason, and there’s plenty of optimism that they will improve to 7-0 this weekend.

Here’s a look into 7 reasons why that will happen:

1. Talent advantage

The Rebels have a developing defense that has shown the ability to come through in the clutch and is satisfactory overall. Take the 2 forced fumbles and recoveries in the final 3 minutes of the narrow win over Kentucky as all of the evidence you need.

On top of that, the Rebels have one of the best running back tandems in the nation with Zach Evans and Quinshon Judkins serving as the headliners. Quarterback Jaxson Dart has shown some need for development as younger quarterbacks often do. But he is making strides and passed for nearly 500 yards in his latest showing.

The offensive line continues to improve in pass protection and the passing game itself continues to improve. Wide receiver Malik Heath hit the century mark in the Kentucky game and wideout Jonathan Mingo proceeded to cross it 2 times over in the win over Vanderbilt.

With up-and-down Oregon transfer Robby Ashford at quarterback and a team that struggles on both sides of the ball that can’t quite get running back Tank Bigsby rolling on a consistent basis, it’s clear who has the upper hand here.

2. Penalties

Ole Miss currently averages 6 penalties per game. That’s a number the Rebels would certainly like to see go down, but it’s not nearly as bad as the way Auburn has shot itself in the foot on several occasions.

The Tigers committed a whopping 10 penalties in their latest game and committed 8 of those in the 1st half — 6 of those were in the 1st quarter alone. It was reminiscent of Auburn’s disaster against Penn State earlier in the season and has been a problem throughout the season. Never downplay an opponent, but Auburn has shown the ability to beat itself.

3. The improvement of Dart

I know, I know. Head coach Lane Kiffin said in the last game Dart made 2 really bad plays, whereas throughout his development this season it has been far more often that he only makes 1 really bad play. Once again, this is normal in the growing pains that young quarterbacks with a small sample size experience.

But there’s a reason this quarterback received Heisman hype before the season, and he has shown some Matt Corral-esque traits. It’s going to take some time for him to reach the ceiling that so many hinged his expectations on. But he has made strides, as shown by the film throughout the season and the aforementioned nearly 450 passing yards in his latest appearance coupled with his mobility that has helped him from the start.

4. Developing passing attack … accompanied by some of that ‘score from far’

The Rebels really got rolling on the ground early in the season, and we’ll get into some more of that later. But let’s talk about how much the team has shown through the air these past couple of games. In the past, the Rebels have only thrown the ball when they seemed to have felt like doing so.

That’s a good option to have when you’ve got a raw, developing talent at quarterback who still needs to make some strides as a passer. But between what the pass protection the offensive line has showed, the pure yardage and success rate of players like Heath and Mingo and the ball distribution, expect that to continue to develop. We have also seen some chunk plays reminiscent of the Jeff Lebby “score from far” era that seem to be a sense of foreboding of what the Rebels could get done with the pass as things continue to come together.

5. Ground game on point

What Ole Miss can get accomplished in the passing game has told the story on offense for the past couple of games. But before that, it was all about the running game. And Ole Miss still has one of the best backfields in the nation. That’s something that has never changed.

The Rebels have the No. 15 rusher in Judkins, who is also the No. 2 rusher in the SEC. Evans previously held a similar status and is still respectably ranked within a rushing offense that ranks 7th in the nation and 2nd in the SEC, trailing only Alabama.

6. Auburn’s defensive shortcomings

The Tigers rank 56th overall in the nation in total defense, allowing a total of 2,159 offensive yards to their opponents to this point in the season, an average of 5.3 yards per play. They have also allowed a total of 19 opposing touchdowns and an average of 359.8 yards per game.

So far this season, Auburn has surrendered 150 points over the course of the 1st 6 games. That’s an average of 25 points. There’s no sure telling exactly what Ole Miss’ game-planning will look like to a tee before it hits the field. But the way the ground game has shown its dominance and the way the passing game continues to grow in big ways behind an improving offensive line does not bode well for the Tigers.

7. Success on third down

Kiffin has never been shy about going for it on 4th down. And I don’t blame him in the least. After all, you do play to win the game and playing too conservatively (hello Mizzou, I’m looking at you) tends to teach you a lesson in the final outcome.

But Ole Miss hasn’t been forced to do that much. The Rebels have been in very few 4th-down situations because of their success, and they have been among the most successful in the nation in 3rd-down situations, leading the SEC in conversion rate at 53.25 percent.