SEC football power rankings after spring portal closes: Did Bulldogs get better?

Here's a look at where the Mississippi State Bulldogs rank in the SEC football hierarchy after the closure of the spring portal.

Kentucky v Mississippi State
Kentucky v Mississippi State | Michael Chang/GettyImages
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On paper, Ole Miss is stacked. Lane Kiffin has brought in six defensive starters from the portal including five-star transfer DT Walter Nolan from Texas A&M.

Offensively, the Rebels should be loaded again. Jaxon Dart returns at QB after throwing for 23 TDs with only five picks last season.

However, Ole Miss is a program that continually spits the bit when playing elite SEC opponents like Georgia or Alabama. The good news is that they get Georgia at home this year and the only daunting road game is a trip to LSU. Plus, Bama is not on the schedule. Still, until Ole Miss finally backs up all the hype by getting to the SEC Championship Game, there will be a sense of "prove it" among many observers.