SEC Football: Who Is the Ultimate Dark Horse for 2015 Season?

Every once in a while, a year comes along in which all the right things fall into place for a non-blue blood to make a run at a conference title. If 2015 is that year in the SEC, then Ole Miss is the team to make that run.

It started started two years ago in 2013, when head coach Hugh Freeze—coming off of his first year with the Rebels—pulled in the No. 8 recruiting class in the nation.

There were already some key pieces in place by that point: Cornerback Senquez Golson, safety Cody Prewitt and linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche, who would later become cornerstones of the "Landshark" defense, were members of the 2011 class. 

Still, the 2013 class was the foundation on which Freeze's program was built.

The top of the class is littered with stars: defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche, offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil, wide receiver Laquon Treadwell and defensive back Tony Conner. Others, like tight end Evan Engram, receiver Quincy Adeboyejo, were less heralded 3-star prospects but have nevertheless become staples of the offense.

Two more members of the 2013 class, quarterbacks Ryan Buchanan and Devante Kincade, are competing for the starting job this year along with JUCO transfer Chad Kelly.

According to what Freeze told Austin Miller of OleMissSports.com, Buchanan is the early leader to start exiting the spring.

Name	Position	247 Ranking	2014 Stats
Robert Nkemdiche	DL	No. 1 overall recruit	35 tackles, 2 sacks
Laremy Tunsil	OL	No. 1 OT, No. 4 overall recruit	Two-year starter
Laquon Treadwell	WR	No. 1 WR, No. 14 overall recruit	48 catches, 632 yards, 5 TDs
Tony Conner	DB	No. 5 S, No. 32 overall recruit
Evan Engram	TE	No. 120 WR, No. 882 overall recruit	38 catches, 662 yards, 2 TDs

It's not just that Ole Miss is getting production out those key recruits, though that is important. Engram, Nkemdiche, Tunsil and Treadwell were preseason All-SEC first-team selections, according to Phil Steele. Conner was a second-team selection.

No, the 2013 class is shaping up to be special because of the amount of top-tier NFL talent that's on the roster.

Last month, Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee opined that Ole Miss, not Ohio State, would be the talk of the 2016 NFL draft. Specifically, Nkemdiche, Treadwell and Tunsil have first-round talent.

Though Conner doesn't get nearly as much attention as the aforementioned three, he could still be mentioned as one of the top defensive backs in the draft if he were to declare.

It wouldn't be surprising to see Ole Miss have as many as four players at or near the top of mock drafts a little less than a year from now. As Sallee notes, though, there's plenty of NFL-caliber depth behind those four:

"

• C.J. Johnson is a versatile senior linebacker/defensive end, and his ability to play both positions will open doors for him at the next level regardless of the system an NFL team runs.
• Damore'ea Stringfellow is a 6'3", 229-pound clone of Treadwell, and the redshirt sophomore transfer from Washington will be put in advantageous situations with Treadwell drawing attention.
• While relatively inexperienced, defensive backs Tony Bridges and Tee Shepard could see their draft stocks explode in 2015.
• Defensive tackle Isaac Gross is an accomplished defensive lineman who could bounce around to a few different spots at the next level.

"

That's something Ole Miss has going for it in 2015 as well: depth, with experience to boot. The updated depth chart, courtesy of OurLads, is filled with upperclassmen who were among the first players to sign with Freeze when he took over the job.

The players who were broken in as freshmen two and three years ago are now seasoned veterans who know how to win on the biggest of stages. They've experienced tough road environments, close games, victory and heartbreak. There's nothing that should faze this group.

That's something another SEC dark horse, Tennessee, can't quite say yet—at least to the same level.

The Vols are a trendy SEC East pick and might end up taking that division, but they're also still a young team in many areas.

When you have a young team like that, there are going to be learning experiences along the way. The first two years of the Freeze era, in which Ole Miss finished 7-6 and 8-5, were filled with those experiences. Even last year—losing four of its last six games—was a lesson in finishing what you start.

This Ole Miss team is all the wiser now for what the last two to three years have brought it.

That's a good thing, because Ole Miss' two toughest games—vs. Alabama and Auburn—are on the road. Additionally, the Rebels travel to Florida in early October and play the Egg Bowl at Mississippi State. Both of those games are winnable, but The Swamp isn't an easy place to play and rivalry games can always be tricky.

If there's a silver lining, it's that Ole Miss doesn't have to play Georgia, Missouri or Tennessee, the three teams predicted to battle for the top of the SEC East.

The out-of-conference slate is more than manageable, too, with UT-Martin, Fresno State, New Mexico State and Memphis.

The SEC West might be wide open as well:

• Alabama is reloading on offense.
• Texas A&M and Auburn will try to improve on defense with new coordinators John Chavis and Will Muschamp.
• Arkansas appears to be on the upswing but could also be a year away from contending for a West division title.
• Mississippi State has the best quarterback in the conference, Dak Prescott, but myriad questions to answer elsewhere.
• LSU might not be able to move the ball again this year if the quarterback situation doesn't improve.

Ole Miss has questions, too, of course. Who will start at quarterback? Can the run game, which ranked 10th in the SEC, improve to provide more balance? Neither question had a solid answer exiting spring, though injuries along the offensive line played a part in that.

"It was a bit unfair not only for them [the running bakcs], but for the quarterback who had that rotation of playing with the second and third units," Freeze said on a SEC coaches teleconference last month.

If Ole Miss can get that portion of its offense worked out, the overall talent, depth and schedule all line up well for Ole Miss in 2015. Now, it's about capitalizing.

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.