Louisville opens the season under the lights Sunday night with a major test against No. 9 Ole Miss, and Jeff Brohm isn’t shy about the stage.
“We're excited to get the season started,” UofL head coach Jeff Brohm said. “I think we've had great preparation up to this point.
We've put in a lot of hard work. I know all the teams have, so it's just going to be, in my opinion, a great opportunity for us to go down in a great venue, play a tremendous opponent on national TV and showcase what we're all about.
“I think with Ole Miss they're a proven team, they played outstanding last year, got a Heisman contending quarterback back, got a Heisman-contending running back back and they're both really good. They've proven that against good competition last year, so this is a battle-tested team that played extremely well last year and I know they're ready to get things going as well.”
The Cardinals and Rebels will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET Sunday at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, with ABC carrying the game. Sean McDonough will handle play-by-play alongside analyst Greg McElroy and sideline reporter Katie George.
Louisville radio coverage will be on the Louisville Radio Network, including 93.9 in Louisville, with Paul Rogers on play-by-play, Craig Swabek as analyst and Jody Demling on the sideline.
Ole Miss comes in as a 6.5-point favorite.
This is only the second time these programs have met. The Rebels took the first one, beating Louisville 43-24 in the 2021 season opener in Atlanta.
There’s plenty to watch beyond the matchup itself. Louisville is 2-2 against Top 25 opponents during Brohm’s tenure, including last season’s win at No.
2 Miami. The Cardinals also bring some eye-catching run-game numbers into the opener: among running backs with at least 90 carries during the 2025 season, Isaac’s 8.8 yards per carry ranked first nationally and Keyjuan’s 7.3 ranked third.
Ole Miss has its own headline names, with quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy both on the watch lists for the Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Award.
Louisville also used the portal to shore up its offensive line, adding five experienced transfers. That group has combined for 114 games played at their previous schools, with 79 starts.
On the other side, Ole Miss defensive coordinator Bryan Brown knows Louisville well. Brown spent four seasons with the Cardinals in the same role, and his 2022 Louisville defense led the FBS in sacks.
The teams are ranked differently across the major polls and models. Louisville sits at No. 24 in the AP Top 25, while Ole Miss checks in at No.
- The Cardinals are unranked in the Coaches Top 25, where the Rebels are No.
- ESPN FPI has Louisville at No. 28 and Ole Miss at No. 13, while PFF Power Rankings place Louisville at No. 25 and Ole Miss at No.
Louisville’s next game comes Friday, Sept. 11, when it hosts Villanova at 7:00 p.m. Ole Miss will return home to face Charlotte on Saturday evening in Oxford.
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