OXFORD – Sept. 6 will be here before we know it. Ole Miss’ 2026 season is nearly here.
Fresh off a program-record 13 wins and trip to the College Football Playoff semifinals, the Rebels start their first full season under Pete Golding on Labor Day weekend against Louisville in a neutral-site game in Nashville. SEC Media Days began Monday, and the Rebels take the stage today. Here are three questions looming as Ole Miss embarks on its highly anticipated 2026 campaign.
How will Ole Miss handle lofty preseason expectations?
No, Lane Kiffin is no longer the head coach in Oxford. But expectations remain high for the Rebels under Golding, who took over as head coach after the 2025 regular season. Golding is 2-1 and led the program to its first two CFP wins, coming up just short of a berth in the national title game.
Star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss – who finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting a year ago – isn’t sneaking up on anyone as an overlooked Division II transfer this time around. Doak Walker Award finalist Kewan Lacy is on the cover of this year’s EA Sports College Football video game; he had 104-career rushing yards prior to last season. The Rebels weren’t on most pundits’ CFP radars this time a year ago after losing eight NFL Draft picks, including a pair of first rounders. The Rebels were the No. 21 team in the 2025 preseason AP Poll and finished ranked No. 3. Ole Miss has a bullseye on its back in 2026, having received preseason top-10 accolades from Lindy’s and Phil Steele and a No. 11 ranking from Athlon.
In the last 20 years, Ole Miss has been ranked in the preseason AP top 10 twice, in 2009 and 2024. The 2009 Rebels started the year at No. 8, went 9-4 and finished ranked No. 20, while the 2024 team started at No. 6, went 10-3, finished at No. 11 and just missed the CFP.
Ole Miss has six top-15 finishes in the AP poll over the last two decades – 2008 (14), 2015 (10), 2021 (11), 2023 (9), 2024 (11) and 2025 (3). The Rebels’ preseason AP rankings each of those years? Unranked, No. 17, unranked, No. 22, No. 6 and No. 21, respectively. The Rebels have historically done some of their best work when flying under the radar. Can they buck that trend in 2026?
How will Ole Miss manage the emotions of its daunting schedule?
As you likely know, there’s a big game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Sept. 19. A matchup with LSU is always worth the price of admission, but this year’s Magnolia Bowl will also mark Kiffin’s first return to Oxford since taking over as the Tigers’ head coach in late November. Regardless of what happens on that Saturday, the next weekend provides its own challenge – a matchup in Gainesville against Florida, the same place the Rebels’ CFP hopes died in 2024. Talk about an emotional roller coaster of a couple weeks.
The 2026 schedule is loaded with brutal games. The opener against Louisville is no walk in the park, as the Cardinals have won 28 games over the last three seasons. The Rebels’ bye week comes after the matchup with the Gators; consecutive games at Vanderbilt, against Missouri and at Texas await. Ole Miss plays Georgia and Oklahoma in back-to-back weeks for the second year in a row (though the Bulldogs are at home this time) and there is, of course, the Egg Bowl on Nov. 27. A Halloween game against a new-look Auburn team could be spooky, too.
Per ESPN’s Power Index, Ole Miss had the No. 31 strength of schedule in 2025. The Rebels have the No. 5 strength of schedule in 2026.
Is Golding ready for his moment?
Golding, of course, has answered this question to an extent with CFP wins over Tulane and Georgia. He also kept much of the team intact for a run in 2026 while adding key pieces in the transfer portal and recruiting at a high level. But this is Golding’s first time leading a program through an offseason and an entire regular season. And while Golding said he will still be calling the defense game day and John David Baker is a familiar face at offensive coordinator, it remains to be seen how the new-look in-game operation works.
Golding has said and done all the right things since assuming head coaching duties. But what happens if the Rebels lose a tight game in the middle of the season? Is it a one-off or do things spiral? Golding masterfully navigated a tight win in the Sugar Bowl against Georgia; can he potentially do it multiple times during the regular season if the situation arises? Ole Miss won five regular-season games by one score or less in 2025.
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