Ole Miss got the kind of win that turns heads across the sport, but Kirk Herbstreit isn’t letting the Rebels drift too far into celebration mode.
After No. 4 Ole Miss knocked off No.
7 LSU, 32-24, Herbstreit said the Rebels have real national title potential. He also made it clear that the next stop on the schedule is a major test, not a victory lap.
“Now remember, they're at Florida this week, and they're a three-point underdog,” Herbstreit said on Nonstop, his podcast with fellow ESPN analyst Joey Galloway. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday on ABC.
The LSU win carried extra weight because it came against former Rebels coach Lane Kiffin in his first trip back to Oxford since leaving for LSU after the 2025 regular season. The result pushed Ole Miss up four spots in the Associated Press Top 25, landing the Rebels at No. 4.
Herbstreit came away impressed, and he didn’t hold back.
“I think Ole Miss is legit. I do.
I think it has to do with No. 6,” Herbstreit said.
He also argued the Rebels are bigger than one rivalry statement. The way he sees it, this team has more in the tank than a single emotional win.
“This is a team that can do so much more than just beating Lane Kiffin and LSU,” Herbstreit said. “With that quarterback and with that team, this is a team that's going to continue to get better. I think they're a legitimate threat in the playoff.”
Florida is bringing plenty of its own momentum into the matchup. The Gators are 3-0 for the first time since 2019 under first-year coach Jon Sumrall, and they entered the rankings at No. 21 after a 44-39 win at Auburn.
That’s part of why the line has drawn attention. Florida is now the favorite, and Herbstreit said the shift makes sense when you look at the week Ole Miss is walking into.
“One week you're playing in that atmosphere at home,” Herbstreit said. “The next week, you're going against 3-0 Florida, fresh off a big win, believing in their coach, scoring a ton of points. They've got to be up in the top five in the country in scoring, and you're a dog.”
Galloway added that the emotional hangover from LSU could be a real factor for the Rebels.
"I'm willing to bet that part of that is the emotion of the LSU game, and then the very next week having to go on the road to another tough environment and having to deal with the emotions," Galloway said.
"It's got to be right around 50-50," the former Ohio State quarterback said. "I mean, it's got to be a home-field edge to Florida."
Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, though, made sure his team didn’t spend much time soaking in the LSU win.
“It wasn't the Super Bowl, and we didn't make it out to be the Super Bowl,” Golding said.
The biggest star from Saturday was quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns against LSU and also ran for the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter. Herbstreit said NFL personnel noticed, too.
“I had NFL people texting me, owners and general managers, during the game about this guy,” Herbstreit said. “He's obviously got their attention.”
Chambliss helped finish off the 75-yard drive that put Ole Miss in front, and he did it without running back Kewan Lacy, who left with a left shoulder injury. Golding said Lacy’s X-rays were negative.
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