Ole Miss is starting the season with some national respect attached.
The Rebels checked in at No. 9 in Monday’s Associated Press preseason Top 25, giving them a spot in the top 10 of both major national polls. Earlier, Ole Miss landed at No. 10 in the AFCA Preseason Coaches Poll.
That puts the Rebels in a crowded SEC-heavy upper tier. Georgia is No.
3, Texas No. 5, Texas A&M No. 8 and Oklahoma No. 10, making five league teams in the top 10.
LSU opened at No. 11, followed by Alabama at No. 13, Tennessee at No. 20 and Missouri at No.
At the top of the AP poll, Ohio State is No. 1 for the first time since 2015. The Buckeyes collected 40 of 69 first-place votes.
Oregon sits at No. 2 with 14 first-place votes, Notre Dame is No. 4 with six, defending national champion Indiana is No. 6 after earning eight first-place votes, and Miami - which beat Ole Miss in last season’s national semifinals before falling to Indiana - grabbed one first-place vote and opens at No. 7.
Ole Miss will see a ranked opponent right out of the gate. Louisville is No. 24 in the preseason poll, and the Rebels and Cardinals are set to meet on Sept. 6 in Nashville’s Nissan Stadium.
Pete Golding is heading into his first full season as Ole Miss head coach, and the roster around him has been reshaped quickly. Golding took over for Lane Kiffin on Dec. 1 and then guided the Rebels to College Football Playoff wins over Tulane and Georgia. Since then, Golding and his staff have added major talent to the 2026 roster.
Ole Miss finished with the No. 2 transfer class in the country, according to 247Sports, marking its fifth straight top-six finish in the transfer team rankings. The Rebels also signed a high school class that ranked as high as No. 25.
There’s still plenty of return production in Oxford, too. Ole Miss brings back 48 letter-winners from the 2025 team, including Walter Camp Award preseason watch list honorees Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy.
The SEC wasn’t the only league with a strong showing. The Big Ten followed with eight teams in the poll, including USC at No.
14, Michigan at No. 16, Washington at No.
17, Penn State at No. 18 and Iowa at No. 22, alongside the conference’s three teams in the top 10.
SMU came in at No. 19 as the ACC’s other ranked team with Miami. Texas Tech leads the Big 12 at No. 12, with BYU tied with USC at No.
14, Utah at No. 21 and Houston at No. 23.
No Group of Six team made the preseason top 25, though Boise State came closest at No. 28 after drawing the most votes. The Broncos face early tests at Oregon and against Memphis before conference play begins.
Clemson and Florida were the first two teams out, finishing with 112 and 51 total points, respectively.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Has One Line Question That Could Define Trinidad Chambliss
Ole Miss has spent most of fall camp answering questions, but the line in front of Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy still has a few moving parts. The interior looks like a real strength with returning pieces Brycen Sanders, Delano Townsend and Patrick Kutas, and that should give the Rebels some stability where it matters most. Still, for an offense trying to take shape under Pete Golding, the front five is more than a depth chart exercise - it is the foundation for how far the group can go this season.
The uncertainty is centered on the edge, where right tackle is still being sorted out with Carius Curne, Tommy Kinsler IV and Connor Howes all in the mix. A decision there will carry weight beyond one job title, because the fit in front of Chambliss will help determine how cleanly the offense can function. Golding and Chambliss have both made clear that the line's play will be a defining factor, and the final answer on that spot is shaping up to be one of camp's most important calls. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Odom May Decide How Dangerous Ole Miss Stays In 2026
Ole Miss is headed toward a very different-looking passing game in 2026, with several of its most familiar offensive targets either off to the NFL or gone via transfer. Deuce Alexander is the lone returning starter among the wide receivers and tight ends, which makes the next wave of pass-catchers especially important as the Rebels reset around new offensive coordinator John David Baker.
Caleb Odom could end up being one of the biggest swing pieces in that transition. The Rebels are expected to keep leaning on tight ends as a real part of the offense, and that puts Odom in position to matter quickly if he can grow into a larger role. For a team trying to stay dangerous through another personnel turnover, how much he gives them may go a long way toward shaping the ceiling of the passing attack. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Faces A Big Defensive Test After Losing Princewill Umanmielen
Replacing Princewill Umanmielen is going to take more than one player, and Ole Miss is already leaning into a committee approach on the edge. Defensive coordinator Bryan Brown said the Rebels will spread those snaps around, with transfers Blake Purchase and Jonathan Maldonado among the pieces expected to help steady a spot that suddenly looks a lot different.
Brown also pointed to a growing leadership core on that side of the ball, naming Will Echoles, Keaton Thomas and Luke Ferrelli as players finding their voice. The timing matters with senior Suntarine Perkins earning the 2026 Chucky Mullins Courage Award, a recognition that reflects his leadership and perseverance and gives the defense a veteran presence to build around as it sorts out the next step. [Read more 🡒]