DO STARS MATTER?

I've been saying that Ole Miss is loaded this year. Want evidence?

In the past four years, according to Rivals.Com, the Rebels have signed:
• 3 Five-Star recruits
• 18 Four-Star recruits
• 47 Three-Star recruits

By comparison, Vanderbilt has signed:
• No Five-Star recruits
• 1 Four-Star recruits
• 18 Three-Star recruits

Add it all up and Ole Miss has signed 68 elite recruits to Vanderbilt's 19.

There's no question that Ole Miss has more talent. Throw in home field advantage and a coach who's been to the SEC championship game, and the 6 1/2 point spread doesn't seem like enough, does it?

But the Commodores have a chance to win this one, just like they've beaten South Carolina the past two seasons. The Gamecocks' recruiting success? One Five-Star, 32 Four-Star and 56 Three-Star recruits in the past four years. That's 89 elite recruits to Vanderbilt's 19 (and Ole Miss' 68).

And the remainder of the Commodores' schedule:

• Auburn (Oct. 4): 90 elite recruits
• Miss State (Oct. 11): 53 elite recruits
• Georgia (Oct. 18): 91 elite recruits
• Duke (Oct. 25): 27 elite recruits
• Florida (Nov. 8): 90 elite recruits
• Kentucky (Nov. 15): 36 elite recruits
• Tennessee (Nov. 22): 90 elite recruits
• Wake Forest (Nov. 29): 25 elite recruits

Talent-wise, we're not in the same ballpark with Auburn, Georgia, Florida or Tennessee — or for that matter, with Alabama (103), LSU (90) or Arkansas (75).

We're closer to Miss State and Kentucky in talent.

And we get the same kind of players that Duke and Wake Forest do — except that Wake Forest has been the model, winning the ACC two years ago. Of course, they couldn't have won the SEC, but the Wake Forests of the world give us hope.