College football’s Sunday slate opens with a matchup that has plenty of playoff weight behind it, even if it’s only Week 1. No.
9 Ole Miss and No. 24 Louisville meet in an SEC-ACC showdown that puts two ambitious rosters on the same field, and both sides have reasons to believe they can make noise this season.
Louisville’s best path is pretty clear: lean on the run game, trust Jeff Brohm’s experience in bigger spots, and try to turn this into a four-quarter fight. Brohm has a track record of knocking off ranked teams, and the Cardinals have leaned heavily on the transfer portal to reshape the roster.
At the center of that ground-first approach is Isaac Brown, who gives Louisville a real chance to control tempo. He led the FBS with 8.8 yards per carry, nearly a quarter of his runs went for 10 or more yards, and no other back has averaged more yards per touch over the last two seasons.
He’s also third in yards after contact.
If Louisville can hold up up front against Ole Miss’ pass rush and get the Rebels out of rhythm early, the Cardinals have a lane to keep this one tight. That would also help their defense, which needs to create mistakes and disrupt Ole Miss before the Rebels settle in.
Still, Ole Miss enters with the cleaner talent edge and more continuity where it matters most. Pete Golding’s group brings back quarterback Trinidad Chambliss after a standout season, and Kewan Lacy gives the Rebels another dangerous piece after breaking school records on the ground a year ago. The roster has also been strengthened by portal additions, giving Ole Miss more ways to control the game and attack Louisville from multiple angles.
That matters especially against a Cardinals defense trying to handle a new Rebels quarterback and a lead rusher with proven production. Ole Miss should be able to push the pace, work the edges, and make Lincoln Kienholz deal with a level of pressure he hasn’t seen before.
Neutral-site games can sometimes tilt toward the team that is simply more prepared, and Brohm’s staff has had all offseason to build a plan for a Rebels offense that does have some new pieces around its stars. But the key difference here is those stars. Chambliss and Lacy give Ole Miss enough firepower to generate explosive plays, and that’s the kind of edge that can start to separate the game after halftime.
Louisville can hang around for a while behind Brown and the run game, but Ole Miss has the better roster balance and the more reliable playmakers. The Rebels look built to take control late and pull away in the second half.
In Other News...
Louisvilles ACC Path Is Opening Up For Jeff Brohms Team
Louisvilles season opens with the kind of early test that can tell a team a lot about itself, but the path after that looks far friendlier for Jeff Brohms group. The Cardinals are set up to navigate a conference slate that, on paper, leaves them with a real chance to build momentum if they can survive the front end of the schedule and take care of the opportunities in front of them.
Recent results elsewhere have only sharpened that outlook. Virginias lopsided win over NC State and Colorados narrow victory over Georgia Tech changed the feel of a couple of Louisvilles biggest ACC matchups, and the Cardinals now have a schedule dotted with several lower-performing teams that could help keep the door to the ACC Championship Game open deeper into the fall. [Read more 🡒]
Louisvilles Backfield Just Got More Interesting For One Huge Reason
Louisvilles offense should get a major boost in the backfield next season, with Isaac Brown expected to be part of the mix again after his injury-shortened year. The junior from Miami gave the Cardinals another dynamic option when he was on the field, and his return should help take some pressure off the rest of the offense while giving Louisville a chance to spread the workload more evenly.
Jabari Mack also looks set to be available for the 2026 season, giving the Cardinals another experienced piece to lean on in the secondary. The fifth-year defensive back from Jacksonville brings depth and know-how to a unit that always benefits from steady veterans, and his presence adds to the feeling that Louisville could have more balance on both sides of the ball heading into next year. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Suddenly Faces Real Pressure In Race For 5-Star Target
Louisvilles push for the 2027 class has already put 5-star forward DeMarcus Henry at the center of its recruiting picture, and the Cardinals are getting a chance to make their case in person while hes on campus. Henry is one of the countrys most coveted young forwards, and Louisville has been viewed as the favorite in Rivals projections, which gives the staff a real foothold in a recruitment that could shape the next few years of the program.
The challenge is that Louisville is hardly alone in this race, and Henrys background gives other ACC powers a natural opening. He grew up in the Charlotte area and has long shown interest in schools like Duke and North Carolina, which means the Cardinals have to sell more than just proximity and momentum while the visit is still fresh. The recruiting battle is still early, but for Louisville, keeping Henry from drifting toward those traditional powers will be the next test. [Read more 🡒]