No. 24 Louisville and No. 9 Ole Miss are set to give Week 1 one of its few true ranked-on-ranked matchups Sunday at the Liberty Mutual Music City Kickoff in Nashville, and the betting angle points straight at the Cardinals.
Louisville enters with momentum from a strong 2025 season, while Ole Miss is trying to carry its edge forward in the post-Lane Kiffin era. The Rebels still have plenty to work with, starting with Trinidad Chambliss, who was expected to be one of the top quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft before filing for another year of eligibility. After his appeal moved through the NCAA and then Mississippi state court, it was approved, and he returns after a season in which he threw for 3,937 yards, 22 touchdowns and three interceptions while adding 527 rushing yards.
Even with Chambliss back, the case for Louisville is real. Isaac Brown gives the Cardinals a backfield threat that can tilt a game quickly; he averaged 8.8 yards per carry last season, and if he comes close to that again, Louisville’s offense becomes a problem for anybody lining up across from it.
The numbers on defense also lean Louisville’s way. The Cardinals finished 25th in the country in defensive success rate last season, while Ole Miss sat 56th in that category and ranked 86th in opponent rush success rate. That’s the kind of split that makes a dog worth a look.
There’s also trust factor here. Louisville has the returning head coach in Jeff Brohm, and that matters in a game like this.
My lean is the Cardinals outright. This could be a big season for Jeff Brohm.
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For a frontcourt looking for stability, the encouraging news has come from two newcomers in Karter Knox and Obinna Ekezie Jr., who are making steady progress in their offseason recovery. Kelsey said both are moving ahead of where the staff expected at this stage, a welcome sign for a Louisville team that has leaned heavily on recruiting and transfers to rebuild the roster and needs every healthy body it can get as preseason work begins. [Read more 🡒]
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Isaac Ellis Could Give Louisville A Freshman Spark Sooner Than Expected
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For a roster looking for fresh energy, Ellis could be one of the more intriguing names to watch before long. His path to campus came earlier than originally expected, and that only adds to the sense that Louisville may not have to wait very long to see what he can do. If his Overtime Elite production is any indication, the freshman spark might be there sooner than many around the program first assumed. [Read more 🡒]