Ole Miss already knows the road ahead in SEC play, and it does not look forgiving.
After a rough season and a roster overhaul for 2025-2026, Chris Beard’s Rebels are staring at a conference slate that asks plenty from them right out of the gate. The SEC’s 16-team format means every school plays the other 15 once, plus three twice - two permanent opponents and one rotating matchup each year. For Ole Miss in 2027, that means Kentucky, Auburn and Mississippi State show up twice on the schedule.
The Rebels open league play at home against Georgia on Jan. 2, but that comfort is short-lived. Ole Miss then goes to Kentucky on Jan. 5/6, travels to Alabama on Jan. 12/13 and heads to Auburn on Jan.
- That stretch alone could define the early part of the season.
Here’s the full SEC slate for Ole Miss:
Jan. 2 - Georgia
Jan. 5/6 - @ Kentucky
Jan. 12/13 - @ Alabama
Jan. 16 - @ Auburn
Jan. 23 - Texas A&M
Jan. 26/27 - Vanderbilt
Jan. 30 - @ Missouri
Feb. 2/3 - Kentucky
Feb. 5 - @ LSU
Feb. 9/10 - @Arkansas
Feb. 13 - Miss.
St.
Feb.
16/17 - Tennessee
Feb.
20 - @ South Carolina
Feb.
23/24 - @ Florida
Feb.
27 - Oklahoma
March 2/3 - Auburn
March 6 - @ Miss. St.
The first month of conference play looks especially brutal because of the road-heavy run early on. If Ole Miss can get past Georgia at home, the next three stops are all difficult asks. Even the most optimistic read on the schedule has the Rebels trying to survive that opening gauntlet at 1-3.
Of course, plenty can change before then. But for now, the SEC schedule gives Ole Miss a clear warning: this is going to be a grind. And with football still commanding most of the attention, casual fans may want to wait until bowl season is over before turning their eyes to basketball.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Finally Added A Tackle As Fall Camp Pressure Builds
Ole Miss added another body to the offensive line mix with the arrival of Roman Womack, a Northwest Mississippi JUCO transfer who gives the Rebels some much-needed tackle depth as fall camp approaches. The sophomore comes in at 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds and had already been committed since April, joining a transfer class that has also included Carius Curne, Enoch Wangoy and Tommy Kinsler IV.
The timing matters because Pete Golding has made it clear the tackle spots are still very much a work in progress, and that leaves John Garrison with plenty to sort through once camp opens. Terez Davis is expected to push for the starting left tackle job, while the other side remains unsettled, so Womacks best path may be to use camp as a development phase and position himself for a bigger role down the road. [Read more 🡒]
One Ole Miss Freshman May Be Impossible To Keep Off Field
Ole Miss has spent the offseason building its defense around portal additions and veteran help up front, but the freshman most likely to force his way into the conversation is defensive end Landon Barnes. The highly rated recruit arrives with the kind of size and edge talent that can make a young player hard to ignore, and the Rebels are already talking about him as someone who can help address a run defense that needs to be sturdier this fall.
Barnes is entering a room where the line is expected to be rotated, which gives him a real path to early snaps if he proves ready. Defensive coordinator Bryan Brown has been upbeat about what Barnes can bring, and the question now is not whether he belongs in the mix, but how quickly he can turn that promise into a role the staff cannot afford to shrink. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Freshman Could Change The Receiver Picture Sooner Than Expected
Jase Mathews arrived in Oxford with the kind of reputation that usually buys a freshman more than a year of patience. The Leakesville, Mississippi, receiver signed with Ole Miss for the 2026 season after a strong high school career, and even with his senior year shortened, he has already put himself in the conversation for early work on the field.
Ole Miss has reason to keep a close eye on him because the receiver room needs answers after recent departures, and the staff views Mathews as one of the true freshmen most capable of helping sooner rather than later. He is still working through his rehab on campus, so the timeline will depend on how quickly he gets back to full strength, but the path is there if he keeps progressing. [Read more 🡒]