Week 1 opens with a ranked showdown that should tell us plenty right away: No. 9 Ole Miss meets No. 24 Louisville in Nashville, Tennessee, in a neutral-site game that already has real buzz around it.
A big reason for the attention is the new look in Oxford. Pete Golding is now the head coach after Lane Kiffin's departure to LSU, and he wasted no time making an impression.
Golding guided the Rebels to playoff wins over Tulane and Georgia before Ole Miss fell to Miami in the semifinals on one of the final plays of the game. Now the question is whether that kind of success can carry over into the regular season, with Golding entering Week 1 clearly locked in and unfazed by outside noise.
The Rebels also bring one of the game’s best backfield battles into this matchup. Kewan Lacy is back after a historic 2025 season, while Louisville counters with Isaac Brown, who rushed for more than 800 yards and seven touchdowns and averaged 8.8 yards per carry. That alone gives this game a heavyweight feel on the ground.
There are also major questions for Ole Miss through the air. The Rebels lost a lot of receiving production from their historic 2025 season and really only bring back one dominant wideout in Deuce Alexander.
To help Trinidad Chambliss and the passing game, Ole Miss added Horatio Fields, Johntay Cook, Darrell Gill Jr., and Cameron Miller through the transfer portal. At least one of those newcomers will need to step up quickly.
Chambliss, meanwhile, enters the season as one of the Heisman favorites, which only adds to the spotlight on Ole Miss’ offense. John David Baker is in place as offensive coordinator for 2026 after Charlie Weis Jr. left for LSU following Lane Kiffin, and the expectation is that the Rebels can still be explosive. Baker has been with Ole Miss before and has the experience to keep that attack humming.
Defensively, Ole Miss looks deeper at cornerback than it has in years. Antonio Kite returns after being one of the leaders in the defensive back room last season, and Golding also worked the transfer portal for more talent at the position. The Rebels will need that group to keep growing, especially in a game where every matchup feels important.
Up front, Suntarine Perkins, Will Echoles, and Kam Franklin are set to anchor the Rebels’ defensive line against a Louisville offensive line that should be sturdier than the roster turnover suggests. The Cardinals do not return much from last season, but they attacked the transfer portal to reinforce that unit.
Louisville will also be breaking in Lincoln Kienholz at quarterback. He transferred from Ohio State last season, but fans have not seen much of him, which makes his potential impact hard to pin down heading into Week 1.
It all sets up a game with plenty of new faces, a pair of talented backs, and two teams trying to make an early statement in Nashville.
In Other News...
Lane Kiffin Is Back At The Center Of LSUs Wildest Fight
A Louisiana court ruling opened the door for some former players to return to college football, and LSU moved quickly to take advantage, adding former NFL players to its roster, including Jack Pyburn. The decision has injected a fresh twist into an already messy recruiting and eligibility landscape, one that has put LSU and head coach Lane Kiffin right in the middle of a broader fight over who gets to keep playing and under what rules.
The reaction has been swift across the Power 4, with conferences including the SEC moving to impose penalties on programs that add players who previously signed professional deals. LSU, meanwhile, appears ready to push back and challenge those penalties in court, setting up another legal and administrative battle that could ripple well beyond Baton Rouge as the situation continues to unfold. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Freshmen Are Pushing For Roles Fans Cant Ignore
With fall camp winding down and Louisville looming on the opener, Ole Miss is in that familiar late-summer spot where the depth chart starts to sharpen but still leaves room for surprise. The Rebels bring back a solid core in Trinidad Chambliss, Kewan Lacy, Will Echoles and Suntarine Perkins, yet the real intrigue has been the way a few younger players have kept forcing their names into the conversation as practice has worn on.
Caleb Cunningham, Dorian Barney and Landon Barnes are all in the mix for meaningful roles, and that kind of competition matters for a roster trying to stay sharp beyond its established veterans. Pete Golding and Bryan Brown have both sounded encouraged by what they have seen from that group, and if that optimism carries into game week, Ole Miss could have a few freshmen making this team harder to prepare for than opponents might expect. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Landed A Veteran 7-Footer With One Huge Uncertainty
Ole Miss has added some size for the future with Micah Handlogten, the former Florida center who has committed to join the Rebels for the 2026-27 season. The 7-footer brings a familiar SEC pedigree after three years at Florida and a stop at Marshall, giving Ole Miss a veteran frontcourt piece to circle on the calendar even though the move is still well down the road.
The catch is the one every program will keep watching: Handlogten is seeking a fifth year of eligibility, and his status is still under review. His participation in NBA Summer League adds another wrinkle, though he reportedly did not sign a professional contract, leaving Ole Miss to wait on the ruling before this commitment becomes fully locked in. [Read more 🡒]