Ole Miss has already started to eye the bigger test ahead, but the next hurdle comes first.
Coming off a 52-17 win over Vanderbilt in Nashville, the Rebels are back in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium this Saturday for a 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff against No.
13 Missouri. The Tigers will bring a few familiar faces with them, too, in former Rebels Austin Simmons, Cayden Lee, and Chris Graves Jr.
Then comes an even tougher assignment.
One week later, Ole Miss heads to Austin to face No. 6 Texas at 6:30 p.m.
CT on ABC, landing in the network’s primetime window for the week’s biggest game. The matchup gives the Rebels a shot at another ranked SEC opponent, and it now comes with a little more perspective after Oklahoma stunned Texas with a field goal as time expired.
Arch Manning’s late interception set up the Sooners’ final chance, and reigning SEC Specialist of the Year and Lou Groza Award winner Tate Sandell cashed in before overtime. For Ole Miss, that result at least showed a path to beating the Longhorns.
Still, the trip does not get any friendlier from here. Memorial Stadium in Austin is a difficult place to play, and doing it at night only adds to the challenge. Texas has won all 12 home games since a 30-15 loss to Georgia in October 2024, and it is the only SEC program that can measure up to Ole Miss’ current 14-game home winning streak.
Steve Sarkisian has pushed Texas into the SEC contender conversation, and his connection to Pete Golding adds another layer to the matchup, since the two coached together at Alabama.
Austin will be buzzing around the same time for more than football, with the Rebels and Longhorns sharing the weekend spotlight with the annual Formula 1 US Grand Prix.
Both teams have already taken one conference loss through the first six weeks of the season, which makes the Oct. 24 showdown even more relevant in the College Football Playoff race.
Texas will stay home this weekend to play Florida, a team that beat Ole Miss in Oxford before dropping back-to-back games to Missouri and South Carolina.
For Ole Miss, though, the path is simple: handle Missouri first, then turn the page to Texas.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Has One Week 7 Game SEC Fans Can't Ignore
Week 7 is packed with ranked matchups across the country, and the schedule offers plenty for SEC fans to monitor even before the conference slate fully hits its stride. Indiana at Ohio State and Notre Dame against BYU headline a busy stretch of games from Tuesday through Saturday, giving viewers a steady run of top-25 intrigue on multiple networks and streaming platforms.
For Ole Miss, the appeal is simple: a crowded national weekend means one result can ripple into the conversation around the Rebels, even if they are not on every screen themselves. With broadcast windows spread across the week and major games drawing plenty of attention, SEC fans will have reason to keep one eye on the rest of the sport while waiting to see how the wider picture shapes up. [Read more 🡒]
Ahmad Hardys Status Keeps A Dangerous Future Ole Miss Matchup In Focus
Missouris backfield is still waiting on Ahmad Hardy, and that matters well beyond Columbia because his return would immediately shape the way Ole Miss has to think about a looming matchup. Eli Drinkwitz said Hardy has not yet started the two-week ramp-up period or gotten back on the practice field, which keeps the situation squarely in the public eye for a Tigers team that has leaned on him as one of its most important offensive pieces.
For Ole Miss, the uncertainty is part of the challenge. A healthy Hardy changes the texture of Missouris offense and the way the Rebels would have to prepare for it, while Drinkwitz also made clear he wants to cut through the online speculation around Hardys status. He said he will announce it publicly when the running back resumes practice, leaving the timeline open for now and keeping one of the matchups biggest variables unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Former Ole Miss Standouts Keep Giving Fans A Reason To Notice
Week 5 offered another reminder of how deep the Ole Miss NFL pipeline has become, with 20 former Rebels appearing in games around the league. A handful of those alumni had especially notable Sundays, including Jared Ivey turning in the kind of breakthrough moment that tends to stick with a young pass rusher, while Tavius Robinson kept finding ways to be around the ball with multiple tackles and a forced fumble.
The list also featured several first-time starters, a sign that more former Rebels are earning larger roles as the season settles in, even if others were inactive or on bye. It was the kind of weekly snapshot that gives Ole Miss fans plenty to monitor, because the production is spreading across the roster and the next update could bring another familiar name into the spotlight. [Read more 🡒]