Nothing fluky about Ole Miss

Nothing is fluky about Mississippi’s rise into national title contention for the first time since the 1960s. It all starts with Hugh Freeze, the homegrown boy from Oxford who has dominated on the recruiting trail in his first three years as coach.

Freeze’s work in recruiting is paying off on the field. He has the Rebels undefeated and sporting a 6-0-1 spread record as they ready for tonight’s crucial Southeastern Conference West showdown at Louisiana State.

Ole Miss, a 3½-point favorite, has won six of its games by 15 points or more, including both of its previous road assignments. The Rebels smashed Vanderbilt 41-3 and trounced Texas A&M 35-20.

The victory over the Aggies was especially impressive because it came in a terrible situation, one week after Ole Miss captured one of the biggest wins in school history over Alabama. The 15-point margin of victory was deceiving, too, as the game was not nearly as close as the final indicated, with Texas A&M scoring a touchdown on the last play of the game.

No true contender is complete without a quality quarterback. Ole Miss certainly has that in three-year starter Bo Wallace, a senior who is playing the best football of his life. He came of age in the win over the Crimson Tide, throwing three touchdown passes without an interception, including a pair of scoring strikes in the last six minutes of the 23-17 comeback win.

Since getting intercepted three times in the first half of a season-opening win over Boise State, Wallace has 17 touchdown passes and only three interceptions.

How about the Ole Miss defense? The Rebels have the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense, limiting opponents to 10.6 points per game. Senquez Golson, who leads the SEC and is second nationally with seven interceptions, is one of the country’s best cover cornerbacks. LSU’s strength on offense is its ground attack, but Ole Miss is sixth in the nation in run defense.

The Tigers have posted back-to-backs victories over Florida and Kentucky, but have they really done enough to change our opinion of this team since it got spanked 41-7 at Auburn three weeks ago?

This is not a vintage LSU team that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing during the Les Miles era. Most important, we have not seen an Ole Miss squad of this ilk in five decades. Lay the points with the Rebels, who will win by at least a touchdown.

Four more plays for today (home team in CAPS):

— South Carolina (+19) over AUBURN — This is the first time South Carolina has been a double-digit underdog since 2009, when it covered the number in two such spots. In the Gamecocks’ past 47 games, they lost by more than 17 points just twice. As a road ‘dog on coach Steve Spurrier’s watch, South Carolina has compiled a 15-10-1 spread record.

Although their defense has been extremely disappointing, the Gamecocks still have a quality offense that’s scoring 35.1 points per game. Mike Davis is a beast who is averaging 5.5 yards per carry, while Dylan Thompson has a 15-to-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio. South Carolina will cover because it will score. Look for Auburn to a win a 38-27 type of game.

— CLEMSON (-14½) over Syracuse — During coach Dabo Swinney’s tenure, Clemson owns a 20-12 ATS mark as a home favorite. The Tigers are 3-0 ATS as double-digit home favorites this year. The offense has not been as dynamic without injured quarterback Deshaun Watson, but expect Cole Stoudt to lead the way to at least 31 points. Clemson is ranked fifth in the nation in total defense and will shut down the Orange.

— Vanderbilt (+23½) over MISSOURI — The genesis of this pick is the abysmal play of Missouri quarterback Maty Mauk in the past three games. Mauk has completed only 27 of 73 throws (37 percent) for 249 yards, getting intercepted five times without throwing a touchdown pass.

Vanderbilt has been a dynamic road underdog in the past decade. Since 2004, the Commodores have cashed tickets at a 29-13-1 against-the-spread clip in this role, including 2-0 ATS this season. Also, Vanderbilt had two weeks to get healthy and prepare for the Tigers.

— Arizona (-2½) over WASHINGTON STATE — If not for three missed field goals, Arizona still would be undefeated. The Wildcats have had an open date to shake off that gut-wrenching defeat to Southern California, and they venture to Pullman looking to pad their resume with another road win. Washington State has lost outright in three of its four home games.

Last week: 2-3 against the spread

Season: 13-22-1

Brian Edwards of VegasInsider.com and BrianEdwardsSports.com is providing college football analysis for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.