CFB fans left debating over preseason college football top 25 rankings: "Ole Miss at 5 is ludicrous" "Perfect"

Backed by The Grove Collection, the Ole Miss Rebels had an impressive spring portal, finishing with one of the top-ranked recruiting classes in the Southeastern Conference and the country. Buoyed by that success, On3 football analyst J.D. PicKell released his post-spring portal top 25 rankings, and the Rebels were No. 5, just behind the Oregon Ducks and ahead of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The Rebels already had returning quarterback Jaxson Dart before acquiring defensive tackle Walter Nolen (Texas A&M), secondary Isaiah Hamilton, (Houston), linebacker Chris Paul (Arkansas), running back (Henry Parrish, Miami), wide receiver Jucie Wells (South Carolina) and defensive end Princely Umanmielen (Florida).

College football fans on X had mixed reactions to PicKell's ranking.

"Fax, should be higher," one fan tweeted.

"When are we going to stop hyping up ole miss," another fan tweeted.

"it’s valid. they should be in front of Oregon tbh," one fan tweeted.

"We’re valid this year it’s not hard to see if you look who came through the portal," another fan tweeted.

"Because all of the pieces have come together for them this year. They probably won't be this good for multiple years. But this year they have legitimate contention aspirations," one fan tweeted.

"Ole Miss over Bama is crazy," another fan tweeted.

Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss have opportunity to climb the ladder

Ole Miss managed to retain the services of coach Lane Kiffin and return quarterback Jaxson Dart, a good base to launch the quest for their third successive 10-win season under the charismatic coach.

The Southeastern Conference is in flux with the arrival of the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners and the surprise retirement of Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, which could signal an opportunity for another power to rise alongside the Georgia Bulldogs.

It's also the first year of a 12-team college football playoff, and any teams with designs on progression could take advantage to squeeze themselves into the conversation.

Lane Kiffin, who famously despises the transfer portal, has nevertheless made good use of it and recruited one of the best classes in preparation for the coming season.

It was not the first time that J.D. PicKell praised the Ole Miss Rebels. Last month during an On3 podcast, he named Lane Kiffin's team one of the "offseason winners," alongside the Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes.

"In terms of what they kept: Tre Harris, more-or-less a 1,000-yard receiver a year ago in the SEC," PicKell said. "You kept your quarterback Jaxson 'Darty.' I know his name is Jaxson Dart, but we call him Jaxson Darty on this show. It's a party in Ole Miss during the day when they're playing.

"They re-upped with Lane Kiffin. I've said it many times: The fact that you kept Lane Kiffin in Oxford, I think, is best for everyone involved. Lane Kiffin isn't for everybody, but he is for Ole Miss. They champion Lane Kiffin, the way he does things."

If ever there was a time to scale the college football ladder for the Rebels under the popular coach Lane Kiffin, this is it.