Ole Miss is heading into 2026 with real buzz, real talent and, as it turns out, real skepticism.
The Rebels are a year removed from a deep College Football Playoff run, but the conversation around them took a sharp turn when SEC Network analyst Roman Harper brushed off their championship hopes. On air, Harper didn’t leave much room for debate.
"They’re not winning the (National Championship). They’re Ole Miss. You’ll learn, you’ll come around."
That was enough to set off some surprised reactions from the rest of the crew, including former Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel, who was in the middle of discussing the Rebels when Harper dropped the line.
The timing matters because Ole Miss is entering a new era. Lane Kiffin is out, and Pete Golding is now the one tasked with carrying the program forward. That alone gives the Rebels a different feel going into the season, even with expectations still sitting high.
On paper, this is still a team that should be near the top of the SEC and firmly in the national picture. The roster is loaded enough that the offense could be especially dangerous, with quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy both mentioned as players who may end up near the top of the Heisman Trophy race.
But the biggest question isn’t about talent. It’s about Golding. First-year head coaches always bring uncertainty, and that’s the concern hanging over Ole Miss as it prepares for 2026.
Golding has already had to navigate firsts during the Rebels’ CFP run, and the university clearly believes he’s the right man for the job. Even so, the learning curve is real. A coach doesn’t know how he’ll handle every situation until he’s in it for the first time, and that’s part of what makes this season such a test.
So while the Rebels have the kind of roster that should keep them in the mix, the doubters are going to be loud until they prove it on the field. For now, Ole Miss is counting down the days until kickoff, with the national noise already starting to build.
In Other News...
SEC Power Shift Talk Should Have Mississippi State Fans On Edge
Greg Sankeys comments this week put some real context around the SECs ongoing frustration with the direction of college sports. The commissioner said the league is talking openly about the strain created by issues like legislation, NIL transparency and the College Football Playoff structure, but he also made clear that a clean split from the NCAA is not the preferred answer. For a league that has long set the pace nationally, the conversation is less about bluster than about how much longer the current setup can keep absorbing pressure.
Sankey also pointed to the SECs recent run of success across all sports as a reason there is no urgency to force a break. Still, the fact that these discussions are happening at all says plenty about where the sport stands, and why schools around the league are watching every new development so closely. The bigger question now is whether the national framework can steady itself before the frustration in the SEC keeps building. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss QB Just Drew A Massive National Claim Ahead Of 2026
Trinidad Chambliss already forced his way into the national conversation by earning another year of eligibility and positioning himself to be back at Ole Miss in 2026. The path there was unusual enough on its own, but the bigger takeaway for Rebels fans is how quickly his stock has risen after he stepped in last season and helped drive Ole Miss all the way to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Now the buzz around Chambliss is reaching well beyond Oxford. ESPN analyst Jordan Rodgers went so far as to call him the best quarterback in the country, a striking claim for a player who is still set to build on what he showed a year ago. Rodgers also pointed to the expectation that Chambliss can keep improving even with coaching changes around him, which only adds to the intrigue heading into next season. [Read more 🡒]