One of the most intriguing games of Week 1 of the 2026 college football season will be one of the last.
No. 10 Mississippi will begin one of the most anticipated seasons in the program's modern history with a matchup against Louisville on Sunday, Sept. 6 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, the home venue of the NFL's Tennessee Titans.
The Rebels bring back arguably the best quarterback and running back in the sport in Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy, respectively. Chambliss was one of the biggest revelations in college football last season, with the Division II transfer accounting for 4,464 total yards and 30 touchdowns while helping
guide Ole Miss to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. Lacy played a similarly integral role, rushing for 1,567 yards and 24 touchdowns, both of which ranked him among the top five FBS players.
Ole Miss lost several key pieces from its 2025 team, especially from a strong defense. The Rebels' biggest questions, though, may be on the sideline. After Lane Kiffin's messy exit to LSU before the playoff, Ole Miss promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding to the full-time coaching position. While he did an excellent job piloting the Rebels to two playoff wins, how will the program fare under his watch after a full offseason?
Watch Alabama vs. East Carolina football live with Fubo (free trial)
He'll provide an interesting early answer to that question against a Louisville team that has gone 28-12 in three seasons under coach Jeff Brohm. The Cardinals bring back one of the most explosive running backs in the country in Isaac Brown, a sophomore who rushed for 884 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 8.8 yards per carry last season despite injuries limiting his output.
They've also got a stellar duo of pass-rushers in Clev Lubin and Tyler Thompson, who together had 15.5 sacks last season (Thompson was at North Carolina in 2025 before transferring to Louisville in the offseason). Louisville received the most votes of teams outside the top 25 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll.
Here are some predictions, how to watch the Alabama vs. East Carolina game, including the TV channel, start time, streaming information and more:
Ole Miss vs Louisville prediction, picks, betting odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Saturday, Sept. 5
- Spread: Ole Miss (-7)
- Over/under: 55.5 points
- Moneyline: Ole Miss (-275) | Louisville (+220)
Ole Miss 34, Louisville 23: Jeff Brohm's big-game bona fides are what they are, but there are a few too many questions around his Louisville team this early in the season, including an inexperienced quarterback, to reasonably expect them to beat a squad with so much talent returning from a playoff semifinalist. — Craig Meyer, USA TODAY Network
Ole Miss 28, Louisville 23: Look for this game to be close. Because Ole Miss has tried to keep its schemes similar while overhauling the coaching staff, the changes might be overblown. Still, Louisville has enough talent to keep the Rebels sweating until the end. — Sam Hutchens, Clarion-Ledger
Louisville 31, Ole Miss 28: It'll be a close game, and season openers are always a mixed bag. But I'll take Brohm in big games to set the tone for the rest of the Cards' season, starting Pete Golding's first full season as the Rebels' head coach with a loss. — Alexis Cubit, Louisville Courier-Journal
More USA TODAY staff picks:
- John Brice: Ole Miss
- Matt Hayes: Ole Miss
- Jordan Mendoza: Ole Miss
- Paul Myerberg: Ole Miss
- Erick Smith: Ole Miss
- Eddie Timanus: Ole Miss
- Blake Toppmeyer: Ole Miss
Who is Ole Miss playing today?
Ole Miss will be opening its 2026 season against Louisville in a neutral-site game in Nashville.
Who is Louisville starting QB? Meet Lincoln Kienholz
For the fourth time in as many years at his alma mater, Jeff Brohm has a new starting quarterback he got from the transfer portal. And this one might be his most interesting one yet.
After three seasons as a backup at Ohio State, Lincoln Kienholz transferred and committed to Louisville after the 2025 season. In his time in Columbus, Kienholz saw little action sitting behind the likes of Will Howard, Julian Sayin and Kyle McCord, Kienholz attempted only 36 passes (21 of which he completed) for 250 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. Last season, he added 66 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 11 attempts.
Despite that modest output in limited playing time, Kienholz still has quite a bit of potential. Coming out of high school in Pierre, South Dakota, he was a four-star recruit that 247Sports' composite rankings had as the No. 191 overall prospect and No. 15 quarterback in the 2023 class. In his three seasons as a starter at T.F. Riggs High School, he threw for 9,100 yards and 104 touchdowns while leading his team to three state championships. In 2022, he became South Dakota's all-time leading high-school football passer.
Louisville has had mixed results with transfer quarterbacks under Brohm. Tyler Shough was a productive passer who ended up as a second-round NFL draft pick, Miller Moss was a disappointment and Jack Plummer was somewhere in between. How might Kienholz fare?
What TV channel is Ole Miss vs Louisville on today?
- TV channel: ABC
- Streaming: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)
Ole Miss and Louisville football's Week 1 game will be broadcast nationally on ABC. Sean McDonough (play-by-play) and Greg McElroy (analyst) will be on the call while Katie George will serve as the sideline reporter.
Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app, which requires a valid cable login to access, and Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
Ole Miss vs Louisville time today
- Date: Sunday, Sept. 6
- Start time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Nissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee)
Ole Miss and Louisville are scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Sunday, Sept. 6 from Nissan Stadium in Nashville, the home venue of the NFL's Tennessee Titans.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ole Miss vs Louisville prediction: Can Trinidad Chambliss, Rebels keep winning without Lane Kiffin?
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