Ole Miss rewarded for convincing win over Georgia State in latest AP Poll

Ole Miss kicked off the season with a beat down of the Sun Belt's Georgia State. It was of course not a close matchup and illicit little information on how good this Ole Miss team could really be. However, the team was rewarded in the new AP poll.

The Rebels climbed one spot, up to No.20 in the week 2 poll. The Rebels did what they had to do in order to impress the national media, however, they will face a much tougher test this upcoming week when they travel to Kentucky and have their first SEC test.

The Reps were one of 10 SEC teams ranked in the AP poll, showcasing the depth of the conference. The LSU Tigers, who the Rebels will face in a couple of weeks, were one of the highest climbers up to 3rd following their defeat of the Clemson Tigers.

Ole Miss is viewed more favorable in the coaches poll, as they cracked the top 15 in this week's editions. The Rebels also climbed a spot in the new poll, up to No. 14.

The best metric for Ole Miss is ESPN's Football Power Index, or FPI. The metric is a predictive rating system designed to forecast a team’s performance over the course of the season. Unlike polls, which reflect human voters’ opinions, FPI is entirely data-driven.

The FPI is calculated to use a team strength rating which are influenced by past performance, returning production, recruiting rankings & talent level and coaching history. It also included game efficiency metrics, strength of schedules, in season adjustments and probabilistic simulation.

In this week's edition of the FPI, Ole Miss came in as the 4th best team in the country, up six spots from the preseason edition of the index.

Of course, it is still very early, but the Rebels are in the mix of the playoff talks and will have the shot to leave their mark on this season.