I don't think it will happen this year. I, like you, have been skeptical of what will really happen to them, but at this point, it's fair to say they really are being negatively affected. We are 27 and they are 50. I can't imagine they'll end up neck and neck this time.
2015 is a good example when we closed strong and they sort of stumbled to the finish line, and they still finished 17 while we were 18. That's with Freeze and Co at the peak of their game. I don't think it will happen like that now.
The more disappointing thing, to me, is not Ole Miss. It's the fact that the guys who would have gone to Ole Miss, are all now going out of state. So MSU hasn't benefited at all, except for a weaker in-state competitor, which I suppose is good.