ESPN’s Football Power Index isn’t buying a clean path for Ole Miss in 2026, even with Trinidad Chambliss back under center and first-year head coach Pete Golding taking over in Oxford.
The Rebels open the season ranked ninth in the Preseason AP Poll, and they’ll step straight into the national spotlight on Sept. 6 when they face No. 24 Louisville in the Music City Kickoff in Nashville.
That primetime Sunday night game, set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC, starts a season loaded with attention as Ole Miss tries to keep national championship hopes alive after Lane Kiffin’s departure.
ESPN’s model likes Ole Miss in most of its games, but not all of them. The FPI has the Rebels as favorites in eight of their 12 regular-season matchups, with four clear hurdles standing out: LSU at home in Kiffin’s much-anticipated return, a road trip to Texas, and November tests against Georgia at home and Oklahoma on the road.
Here’s how the FPI breaks down the schedule:
Sept. 6: Louisville Cardinals - 69.1% chance to win
Sept. 12: Charlotte 49ers - 98.3% chance to win
Sept. 19: LSU Tigers - 44.1% chance to win
Sept. 26: Florida Gators - 50.2% chance to win
Oct. 10: Vanderbilt Commodores - 68.2% chance to win
Oct. 17: Missouri Tigers - 67.8% chance to win
Oct. 24: Texas Longhorns - 16.2% chance to win
Oct. 31: Auburn Tigers - 68.0% chance to win
Nov. 7: Georgia Bulldogs - 31.0% chance to win
Nov. 14: Oklahoma Sooners - 37.7% chance to win
Nov. 21: Wofford Terriers - 99.5% chance to win
Nov. 27: Mississippi State Bulldogs - 84.7% chance to win
The Rebels’ implied regular-season win total sits at 7.35, a reflection of how tough the SEC slate looks. Ole Miss is an underdog, for now, in four of its nine conference games, and that means a return to the College Football Playoff would require bucking the numbers in a few places where the model doesn’t expect them to win.
Still, with Chambliss back, Ole Miss has a chance to build on the 2025 momentum and chase something special again in 2026. It all begins with that Sunday night opener in Nashville.
In Other News...
Former Ole Miss Leader Nears LSU Move After Kiffin Tension
Zxavian Harris is on the verge of a college football return that would send him back into the SEC spotlight, this time with LSU. The former Ole Miss defensive lineman, recently waived by the New Orleans Saints, is expected to land with the Tigers under a new Louisiana ruling that gives certain athletes a fifth year of eligibility, a move that could quickly reshape LSUs defensive front.
For Ole Miss fans, Harriss next stop carries an extra edge because of the history attached to his name and his past tensions with LSU coach Lane Kiffin. LSU has needed help up front after entering the year with limited returning experience and a heavy reliance on freshmen, so Harris would give the Tigers an immediate veteran presence while adding another chapter to a rivalry connection that already has plenty of familiarity. [Read more 🡒]
Tah'j Butler Brings More Than Talent To Ole Miss Defense
Tahj Butler arrives in Oxford with the kind of background Ole Miss coaches were looking to add, bringing a linebackers frame and a transfers urgency to a defense that has been reworked through the portal. The former Georgia Tech defender is expected to play a major role in the Rebels plans this fall, and his addition comes as the staff continues to stock the linebacker room with more experience and depth before the season opener.
Butlers path to Ole Miss was shaped by more than football, with his late friend Corey Adams weighing heavily in his thinking and the coaching connection helping smooth the move. For a program trying to build both production and stability on that side of the ball, his arrival adds another layer to a transfer class that already has the Rebels feeling better about the middle of their defense. [Read more 🡒]
Another Former Ole Miss Contributor Is Adding Fuel To The LSU Fallout
Defensive tackle Zxavian Harris is the latest former Ole Miss contributor to surface in LSUs orbit, a move that adds another layer to the lingering fallout from Lane Kiffins departure. Harris, who was cut by the New Orleans Saints before becoming eligible to return to college football through a court order, had already made his feelings known publicly about Kiffin leaving Oxford, so his next stop naturally carries extra intrigue for Rebels fans watching this rivalry from a distance.
His transfer also places him alongside several other former Ole Miss players who have headed to LSU following the 2025 season, a trend that has given the Tigers an unexpected connection to the Rebels roster churn. For Ole Miss, it is less about one individual switch than the broader symbolism of where some of its former pieces are landing, and Harris move only adds more fuel to a storyline that has not cooled off yet. [Read more 🡒]