Week 1 has brought about a ton of great college football action, and that will continue with a great Sunday slate. There are two matchups in the Power 4, and one of them is between two of the best teams in the SEC and the ACC: the No. 10 Ole Miss Rebels (13-2 last season) face the Louisville Cardinals (9-4 last season) in Nashville, Tennessee in the Liberty Mutual Music City Classic.
The Ole Miss Rebels were a few steps away from immortality in 2026. They went 11-1 in the regular season, losing only to the Georgia Bulldogs. While they missed the creme de la creme of the SEC on their schedule (outside of Georgia and Oklahoma), that's still impressive. It wasn't enough to make the SEC championship, but they secured a spot in the College Football
Playoff. Unfortunately, Lane Kiffin, the coach that helped them to that record, moved onto the open LSU job before the CFP.
Somehow, the Rebels shocked everyone. They defeated the Tulane Green Wave in blowout fashion, then upset the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl, avenging their only loss of the season. Unfortunately, they ran out of magic against Miami, losing 31-27.
The Louisville Cardinals could've been a playoff team if a few dice had rolled their way, or if the injury bug had any mercy on them. They won their first four games before suffering a surprising overtime defeat against the Virginia Cavaliers (in hindsight, not as surprising). They appeared to get their mojo back with a three-game winning streak afterwards, even winning against No. 2 Miami, before once again losing in overtime, this time to Cal.
The Clemson game that followed probably makes Louisville Cardinals fans see red. Louisville lost 20-19, with their kicker missing an extra point and two attempts at the go-ahead field goal in the fourth quarter. With the ACC championship path all but destroyed, the Cardinals were demolished by the SMU Mustangs, 38-6. They ended their season on a high note, with wins against Kentucky and Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl, but it was disappointing to see them fall apart after looking like a sneaky contender to win the ACC.
If you are looking for some betting advice for the matchup, we've got you covered. Here are the latest odds for the game, courtesy of BetMGM.
Louisville vs. Ole Miss game odds
All college football odds via BetMGM
- Spread: Ole Miss -6.5 (-105), Louisville +6.5 (-115)
- Money Line: Ole Miss -265, Louisville +215
- Over-Under: Over 55 (-110), Under 55 (-110)
Louisville vs. Ole Miss prediction, pick:
This is as heavyweight as it gets in Week 1. Ole Miss looks more high and mighty with Heisman dark horse Trinidad Chambliss and all-world running back Kyren Lacy back, but as shown last season against Miami, Louisville can knock down a contender and a top-10 ranked team.
The Ole Miss offense vs. Louisville's defense will be the difference in this game. Ole Miss's offensive line is sturdy, but Louisville's defensive line, with A.J. Green and Clev Lubin, could give Chambliss and Lacy trouble. Louisville also has the ACC's best secondary, but Ole Miss has Deuce Alexander coming back and developing, along with Syracuse transfers Darrell Gill Jr. and Johntay Cook.
That's not to say nothing about the other sides of the ball. Louisville absolutely has the offensive firepower to compete with Ole Miss. Guys like runnig back Isaac Brown and wide receivers Tre Richardson and Lawayne McCoy are great to have, but how will Lincoln Keinholz perform in his first start? I still like Brian Brohm's scheme against this Ole Miss defense.
Both offenses should come to play. There will be fireworks all around Nashville, maybe more offense than the Tennessee Titans can deliver weekly. It'll come down to some clutch plays late, and I trust Trinidad Chambliss more. He's proven to be clutch in the CFP, and I think he pulls out a tough victory here.
Score Prediction: Ole Miss 38, Louisville 35
Best Bet: Over 55
Louisville vs. Ole Miss channel, start time, streaming:
Date: Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV Channel: ABC
Live Stream: ESPN app, FuboTV
Watch Louisville vs. Ole Miss on FuboTV (Free Trial)
Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Louisville vs. No. 10 Ole Miss: Week 1 Betting Odds, Prediction
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