Any college football team has a few games on its schedule that could be considered ‘trap games’ in which they are favored but certain factors make an upset by the opposing team a realistic possibility.

No. 3 Ole Miss will look to avoid several of these land mines on its schedule this season. Coming off a big road win against Alabama in Week 3, the Rebels turned in a sluggish performance against Vanderbilt last week and dodged what would have been a catastrophic loss by winning 27-16 in Oxford.

But Saturday’s matchup with No. 25 Florida in Gainesville is perhaps the biggest trap game left for the Rebels this year. Matchups with New Mexico State and Memphis before hosting Texas A&M in Oxford make this week’s matchup with the Gators the last tough road game for Ole Miss until the Egg Bowl season-finale in Starkville against Mississippi State.

The Rebels and Gators are ranked and sit at 4-0 so far this season but have gotten there by playing contrasting styles.

Ole Miss showcases a high-powered, big-play offense that ranks second nationally in scoring with 54.8 points per game. But at times, the Rebels offense looks one-dimensional and has struggled running the ball between the tackles. As expected, the Ole Miss defense has been very stout this year after returning most of its starters from last year’s group that finished 13th in the country.

They say good defense and a strong running game are what travel best for football teams. But it appears the Rebels might only have half of that equation solidified for now, which could leave the door open for the Gators to steal a win in front of their home crowd.

Florida has been winning, but it hasn’t always been pretty. The Gators have struggled to get by East Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee already this year. However, they keep finding ways to pull out the victory. But don’t expect Florida’s offense, led by freshman quarterback Will Grier, to be putting up anywhere near the 55 points per game that the Rebels average.

The Gators offense has done what it needs to in order to win games this season but anomalous stats like being 10-for-10 on fourth-down attempts has certainly contributed to that as well. However, third down has been a problem for Florida, which converted more third downs against New Mexico State in Week 1 (10) than it did in the next three games combined (nine). The Gators will need to do better on third down and be less reliant on fourth-down fortune against Ole Miss’ ferocious defense in Week 5.

If Ole Miss is able to jump out to an early lead by scoring a few touchdowns, the Gators won’t be able to keep pace with the Rebels. But expect Jim McElwain’s game plan to involve controlling the clock and wearing Ole Miss down by running the ball on offense and playing hard-nosed defense.

Florida’s defense, particularly its defensive line, has been the cornerstone behind most of its wins this season. Defensive end Jonathan Bullard is having an All-SEC caliber year so far for the Gators and has proven to be a playmaker in the revamped (Will Muschamp-less) Florida defense.

The Gators will have to grind this one out and make it an ugly game to pull off the upset over Ole Miss. By limiting the Rebels’ big plays on offense and perhaps forcing Ole Miss to turn the ball over a couple of times, Florida could very well pull off the shocker.

But if Ole Miss can avoid falling victim to the trap game and come out of The Swamp unscathed, it may not be tested away from Oxford until it plays that team down south a little less than two hours away to finish the season.