The SEC preseason rankings put Ole Miss in a familiar spot near the top, but the Rebels’ placement at No. 3 is already stirring the kind of debate that follows a team with playoff-level expectations.
Georgia sits at No. 1 and Texas checks in at No. 2, leaving Ole Miss right behind them as the conference season approaches. That’s strong company, but it also raises the obvious question: is that the right order for a Rebels team heading into 2026?
There’s plenty to like about what Ole Miss has on the roster. The talent is there for another serious run in the College Football Playoff. The schedule also opens with a non-conference game against Louisville, a move that stands out in an SEC landscape where so many teams get accused of loading up on soft early opponents.
Still, the Rebels have real unknowns attached to them. Pete Golding is in his first year as head coach, and that alone makes the picture a little murkier. He did beat Kirby Smart and Georgia in the College Football Playoff last season, but running a program through a full SEC regular season is a different test entirely.
Golding does bring experience from that playoff run, and that matters. The question is whether that experience is enough to have Ole Miss ready for the week-to-week grind that comes with the league.
Lane Kiffin’s departure is also part of the conversation, even if his presence around the program has become less central. He still gets credit for helping build what Ole Miss has become, and his absence this season is clearly influencing how people are judging the Rebels before a snap has been played.
Texas is dealing with its own pressure, too. Steve Sarkisian’s team is getting plenty of preseason praise again, but the Longhorns missed the College Football Playoff last season.
On paper, they look loaded. In practice, they still have to prove it.
If there’s a team Ole Miss could reasonably sit ahead of, Texas is the one.
That said, preseason rankings only tell part of the story. Ole Miss began last season ranked 21st and ended it in the CFP semifinal, which is a reminder that early expectations can be blown apart by the time the calendar turns to November.
So while the SEC’s preseason order gives Ole Miss a spot at No. 3 for now, it’s really just the opening frame. The real answer comes once the games start.
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