Pete Golding’s first season at Ole Miss has moved fast, and now his name sits beside one of the sport’s heavyweights.
After the Rebels’ 31-3 win over Missouri in Week 7, Golding picked up his fifth ranked victory as a head coach. That puts him in rare air: according to SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic, Golding tied Barry Switzer for the fewest total games needed to get to five ranked wins in college football history.
Golding has done it in only nine games.
The Rebels had plenty of chaos behind their coaching transition when Lane Kiffin left Oxford, and Ole Miss turned to Golding after Kiffin successfully brought so many coaches with him to LSU. Golding has still found a way to keep the wins coming, starting with the 2025 College Football Playoff.
Ole Miss opened that run by hosting Tulane and rolling to a 41-10 win, which sent the Rebels into the Sugar Bowl against Georgia. They beat the Bulldogs 39-34, giving Golding his second ranked win.
This season brought more of the same early. Ole Miss faced No.
24 Louisville on a neutral field in Nashville, TN, and Lucas Carneiro’s 48-yard field goal as time expired delivered a 41-38 victory and Golding’s third ranked win. The fourth came against LSU in Kiffin’s return to Oxford in Week 3.
Switzer’s résumé at the start of his Oklahoma run was different from Golding’s. Golding has already taken some losses in his tenure, while Switzer went 10-0-1 in his debut season. Still, the door remains open for Golding to chase the kind of second-season finish Switzer delivered with a national championship.
Next up, Ole Miss gets Texas on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Just Got A National Vote Of Confidence Before Texas
Ole Miss is heading into the stretch run with plenty of momentum, and it just picked up a notable endorsement from one of the sports most recognizable voices. On the Pat McAfee show, ESPN analyst Rece Davis said he views the Rebels as a legitimate contender in the 2026 college football season, even putting them in the conversation as the SECs second-best team behind Georgia.
That kind of national confidence matters because the schedule only gets more revealing from here, starting with Texas on deck. Ole Miss already has notable wins over LSU, Missouri and Louisville, and the next few weeks will show whether the Rebels can keep stacking those kinds of results as the second half of the season tightens the margin for error. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Has A Real Opening Against Texas If One Unit Holds Up
Ole Miss comes into this week riding the lift of a strong win and looking at a Texas team that suddenly has real urgency attached to it. The Longhorns have dropped two straight, and the Rebels know they are getting a defense that still carries a strong reputation overall, even if the matchup has changed a bit with a key piece now unavailable on the edge.
Colin Simmons being out with a high ankle sprain matters because it can alter how much pressure Texas gets on Trinidad Chambliss, and that is where this game could tilt if Ole Miss protects well enough. Kewan Lacy has battled injuries but remains an important part of the Rebels' offense, and if he gives them a steady presence, Ole Miss has a path to make this more uncomfortable for Texas than the rankings would suggest. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Gets Rare Vote Of Confidence In Massive Texas Test
Ole Miss is heading into one of its biggest measuring-stick games of the season with an unusual bit of outside optimism attached. ESPN analyst Greg McElroy picked the Rebels to beat Texas, pointing to a Longhorns offensive line that has struggled and the possibility that edge rusher Colin Simmons could be limited by injury, while also noting Ole Miss has the kind of offensive line play that can help it handle a physical road test.
The quarterback situation adds another layer to a matchup already thick with stakes. Steve Sarkisian has hinted at a possible change behind center but still expects Arch Manning to start, and McElroy also pointed out that Texas still brings real defensive strength to the table. For Ole Miss, the challenge is clear: take advantage of the openings that have shown up for Texas while surviving the stretches where the Longhorns can still make life difficult. [Read more 🡒]