Mississippi Rebels quarterback Austin Simmons (13) runs the ball during the second quarter against the Georgia State Panthers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi.

The No. 14 Ole Miss Rebels (1-0) and the Kentucky Wildcats (1-0) meet Saturday for the SEC opener at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's NCAA football odds around the Ole Miss vs. Kentucky odds and make our expert college football picks and predictions for the best bets.

Ole Miss leads the all-time series 29-15-1, although the Wildcats posted a 20-17 road win on Sept. 28 last season, cashing as a 15.5-point underdog as the Under (51.5) cashed. Kentucky has covered the past 2 meetings, and each of the past 4 games in the series since 2017 have been decided by 3 or fewer points, with a margin of victory of just 2.5 points per game (PPG). The road team is 3-1 straight up (SU) and 4-0 against the spread (ATS) in the previous 4 in the series.

Ole Miss obliterated the Georgia State Panthers 63-7 last Sunday, covering as a 33.5-point favorite as the Over (60.5) cashed. The Rebels picked up 34 first downs, to just 10 for the Panthers. Ole Miss rolled up 695 total yards, including 295 rushing yards. The Rebels dominated despite a minus-1 turnover ratio.

Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons completed 20-of-31 passes for 341 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs, while WR Harrison Wallace III led the way with 130 receiving yards and a TD. TE Dae'Quan Wright also posted 4 grabs for 78 yards and a TD, while RB Kewan Lacy registered 108 rushing yards and 3 TDs, averaging 6.8 yards per carry.

Kentucky struggled against Toledo, holding off the Rockets 24-16 in the opener. Both teams had 17 first downs, and the Rockets outgained the Wildcat in total yards (329-305). Toledo had 270 passing yards, to just 85 yards through the air for Kentucky. The Wildcats did gobble up 220 yards on the ground.

Portal import QB Zach Calzada was disappointing, going just 10-of-23 for 85 yards, no passing TDs and 1 INT, although he did run for a score. RB Dante Dowdell was the offensive star, going for 129 yards and a TD on 14 carries, while RB Seth McGowan also had a TD with 78 rushing yards.

– Rankings: US LBM Coaches Poll, conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY Sports

Play to win $5K: USA TODAY NFL Survivor contest

Ole Miss at Kentucky odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 3:41 p.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): Ole Miss -350 (bet $350 to win $100) | Kentucky +280 (bet $100 to win $280)
  • Against the spread (ATS): Ole Miss -9.5 (-105) | Kentucky +9.5 (-115)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 50.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)

WIN YOUR FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE! The Huddle has been turning players like you into winners for over 25 years. This season, it's your turn. Custom fantasy football rankings, sleepers and tools are just a click away. Subscribe now!

Ole Miss at Kentucky picks and predictions

Prediction

Ole Miss 31, Kentucky 16

Moneyline

Ole Miss (-350) will cost you 3 1/2 times your potential return, and that's way too much risk for not nearly enough reward.

This is the SEC opener for both teams, and Ole Miss goes on the road for the first time. It was dominant last week, but that was against Georgia State. Is Kentucky just not that good this season, as it struggled to beat Toledo? Or, were the Wildcats simply caught looking ahead to a league opponent? That seems impossible since last week was the opener. Calzada is new to the Wildcats, and he was highly inaccurate. That was the biggest problem. He cannot afford mistakes against a ranked foe, or Kentucky is going to get buried.

Still, you can't risk this kind of money for such a small return.

AVOID.

Against the spread

We touched on it above, but the past 4 meetings have been decided by a total of 10 points. That being said, one team was dominant last week, OLE MISS (-9.5), while the other barely scraped by.

The Rebels are ranked, and Simmons was everything as advertised, picking up right where QB Jaxson Dart left off. The Wildcats are in for a long afternoon.

Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!

Over/Under

UNDER 50.5 (-115) is worth a look here.

Kentucky really struggled with the pass offense, and it cashed low against Toledo last week. On the flip side, Ole Miss limited Georgia State, and it isn't likely to allow much to a Kentucky team still apparently trying to jell on offense. If the Rebels stop the run, points will be at a premium for the Wildcats.

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow @danieledobish on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.

College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:

Alabama / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Duke / Florida / Florida State / Georgia / Iowa / Kentucky / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / UCLA / USC / Washington / Wisconsin / College Sports Wire / High School / Recruiting

This article originally appeared on Sportsbook Wire: Ole Miss Rebels at Kentucky Wildcats odds, picks and predictions

Reporting by Daniel Dobish, Sportsbook Wire / Sportsbook Wire

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect