Based on his limited body of work in Oxford, it’s very clear Shea Patterson intends to be a leader for Ole Miss. When the true freshman quarterback failed to make an appearance in the second week last season against an overmatched Wofford, the writing on the wall suggested the plan in Oxford was to redshirt Patterson. However, once Chad Kelly was lost to injury, Patterson immediately stepped up and made his first appearance 10 games into the season.

Patterson could have easily watched the final three games of his true freshman season but instead chose to help his team on the field in order to qualify for a bowl. After leading Ole Miss to a 29-28 comeback win in the fourth quarter of his dazzling debut at Texas A&M, the Rebels failed to win again and earn a coveted bowl berth.

Entering the 2016 season ranked No. 11 in the AP Top 25 preseason poll, the Rebels had legitimate aspirations to finish the year as national champions. Of course, things didn’t work out that way and Ole Miss finished the season at 5-7 after a humiliating 55-20 home loss to Mississippi State.

If the ending to the season wasn’t bad enough, Ole Miss was then hit with its latest Notice of Allegations from the NCAA and issued a self-imposed one-year bowl ban, meaning the Rebels will miss out on two bowl games in a row after reaching back-to-back New Year’s Six Bowls from 2014-2015. While some questioned whether Patterson had any reservations regarding his decision to commit to Ole Miss, it appears the quarterback had the opposite reaction, according to ESPN’s Greg Ostendorf. Here’s a telling section of Ostendorf’s latest article on Patterson:

When news broke of the NCAA infractions and the postseason ban, Patterson called up his teammates and told them he’s here to stay. The next morning, following Patterson’s lead, the rest of the team met voluntary at the football complex and put together their most spirited workout of the offseason.

Ole Miss won’t be eligible to win the SEC title in 2017, but the Rebels certainly have the talent on offense to compete with any team in the league. Considering the Rebels open the season at home against South Alabama and Tennessee-Martin, if Ole Miss can win on the road at Cal on Sept. 16, the team will likely head into its Week 4 bye undefeated before heading to Alabama Sept. 30.

Based on what we’ve seen from the last three installments of the Ole Miss-Alabama rivalry, would it really be out of the question for an undefeated and rested Ole Miss team to give Alabama a game? Without a SEC title or bowl game to look forward to, these big regular season games will mean everything for the Rebels in 2017. With Patterson apparently locked in and ready to lead this season, just how far can Ole Miss rise in the West standings?

Follow Michael Wayne Bratton / SEC Mike on Twitter.