Ole Miss under NCAA Investigation; Kinda

Just what the Ole Miss Rebels needed before their biggest game of the year to date.

A distraction.

Yahoo Sports is reporting that the NCAA is sniffing around the football and women's hoops programs. The latter has been known for some time.

Ole Miss AD Robert Björk -- wonder if he knows that's the Norse word for birch? -- dismissed Coach Adrian Wiggins a year ago because of it.

In fact, the school self-imposed a post-season ban at that time in hopes of lessening the impact of any NCAA action.

Now, with the NCAA being somewhat neutered by the Power Five's drive for more autonomy, who knows how strict or lame any penalties might be?

There had been rumors flying around ever since Hugh Freeze arrived in Oxford that he was cheating.

The last few years, the Rebels have finished in the Top 10 of lists from so-called recruiting experts; and really, name a more deviant profession than trying to predict the output of 18- to-20 year-olds who are still developing.

Anyway, because Ole Miss isn't a top-brand football product, this brought up a brace of questions from rival schools.

Ironically, the allegations aren't against Freeze and his staff. It's their predecessors who are under scrutiny, led by 'master' recruiter and coy Kansas coach wannabe, Ed Orgeron. That's the dude who walked out of USC in a huff when AD Pad Haden didn't hire him fo the top job there.

What a coincidence that Yahoo wanted to get ahead of this story on the same week as the Rebels host Alabama.

Still, it seems the players are remaining focused on the task at hand. They're definitely not lacking in confidence.

Playing the game will give them something to do while the hints and allegations keep swirling around them.