The college football season is fast approaching as we enter the summer months. And while that is exciting, it does come with its downsides. One being that spring camp is over. The other being that we enter what is arguably the quietest stretch of the annual college football calendar. But the quiet doesn’t mean there’s nothing to talk about. There are always things to address for the upcoming season. So let’s take the downtime to look at a preview of the 2026 Ole Miss schedule.<\/p>\n
Last season, the Rebels made it to the College Football Playoff semifinals. Now, they enter a new season with a new head coach in Pete Golding, who’s starting his first full season at the position. They also have a new offensive coordinator in John David Baker<\/a>. While the coaching staff has seen plenty of changes, the good news for Ole Miss fans is that they managed to retain a lot of key players from last year’s team.<\/p>\n So can the Rebels continue to ride the momentum to another playoff appearance, or will they take a step back in Golding’s first year at the helm?<\/p>\n It’s worth keeping in mind that the SEC is moving to a nine-game conference schedule this year, meaning each team only has three non-conference matchups instead of the usual four. For the Rebels, two of these come in the first two weeks of the season.<\/p>\n They open the 2026 campaign with a neutral-site game against Louisville, taking place in Nashville. While not exactly a traditional power, Jeff Brohm is a really good head coach and consistently has the Cardinals playing competitive football. In three seasons at Louisville, he’s never won fewer than nine games, and put together a 10-win season in 2023. So, while Ole Miss should have an edge from a talent standpoint, it is the opener, and it’s against a solid ACC team that can’t be overlooked if they expect to get out of Nashville with a win.<\/p>\n They then take on Charlotte in week two. This falls into more of a traditional non-conference matchup. Last year, the 49ers won just one game, going 1-11 on the season. The year before, they posted a 5-7 record. So while there’s (almost) no way for Charlotte to be worse than last season, it is the Rebels’ home opener, and it should be a game they take care of with ease.<\/p>\n The final non-conference game for Ole Miss comes on November 21st and takes place against the Wofford Terriers. Wofford comes in having only won 12 games over the past three seasons, and as an FCS opponent, isn’t expected to put the Rebels on upset alert. The only concern is that this one is the week before the Egg Bowl. If they can catch Ole Miss looking ahead, they can potentially keep this one close. Other than that, it should prove to be a solid closing to the non-conference slate for Golding and company.<\/p>\n The Rebels start off the SEC slate at home against LSU on September 19. It’s one of the most talked-about games of the season, and for good reason. It will be Lane Kiffin’s first return to Oxford since his unceremonious departure before the beginning of last season’s College Football Playoff. It’s also a game that should potentially have the Mississippi National Guard on standby, just in case. And while both teams will likely be ranked in the top 15 at kickoff, given the fact that it’s at home, and the fact that Oxford will be an absolute madhouse that day, take Ole Miss to sneak away with a tight win.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Rebels’ next home game is nearly a month later, on October 17, as they host Missouri. This is another game that matters quite a bit to Ole Miss fans, though for a different reason. Former Ole Miss quarterback<\/span> Austin Simmons<\/span><\/a> is now at Missouri and has been named the Tigers’ starting quarterback. Simmons is well-loved from his time as a Rebel and is likely to get a massive ovation. While this is the kind of game that should be intriguing, ultimately, Ole Miss has more depth and should pick up another conference win.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Next up on the home slate for the Rebels takes place on Halloween, against Auburn. While the Tigers have gone through a rough stretch, they now bring in Alex Golesh as their new head coach. There’s a good chance Golesh is going to have success on the Plains, but is it going to happen in year one? Auburn had a lot of things to fix, and expecting drastic results in year one may be a bit fast for the turnaround. Expect it to be close, but take the Rebels to get the win.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The following week, Georgia comes to Oxford in a Sugar Bowl rematch. And the Bulldogs bring a ton of talent back from last year’s team, including quarterback<\/span> Gunner Stockton<\/span><\/a> and running back<\/span> Nate Frazier<\/span><\/a>. Over the past two seasons, the Rebels are 2-1 against Georgia. But given the sustained success from Kirby Smart and company over the past decade, it seems foolish to think the Bulldogs don’t finally get some revenge. Expect another heavyweight fight between these two schools, but take Georgia in a nail-biter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Then, three weeks later, Ole Miss closes the season at home in the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State. From a talent standpoint, this should likely be a relatively easy Rebel win. However, the Egg Bowl is always weird and always close, regardless of where the two teams may be at the time. Take Ole Miss to get the win, but don’t expect a blowout by any means.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Rebels’ road schedule starts off with back-to-back games against Florida and Vanderbilt. The first game is against a Florida team that is in a similar spot to Auburn. Jon Sumrall enters his first season at the helm for the Gators. And while you can expect him to eventually have success, he’s having to take over a program that had a lot of holes. The question is whether Ole Miss has a hangover, good or bad, following the LSU game, seeing as this one is the following week. It’s going to be close, but take Ole Miss to sneak out of The Swamp with a win.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As for Vanderbilt, it enters the post-Diego Pavia era in Nashville. The good news for Clark Lea is that he brings in one of the top players in the 2026 class to replace him, five-star quarterback Jared Curtis. The big question is how fast Curtis can adapt to the college game, especially in the SEC. While Vanderbilt should remain a decent team in 2026, expect them to stumble just a bit from where they were in 2025. Because of this, take the Rebels.<\/span><\/p>\n Two weeks later, Golding and company travel to Austin to take on Texas. And while the media tried to create a stir based on<\/span> comments made by Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian about Ole Miss<\/span><\/a>, there doesn’t appear to be bad blood between the two coaches or schools. This one should just be a matchup between a few Heisman hopefuls. For Texas,<\/span> Arch Manning<\/span><\/a> enters his second season as the starter. On the Rebel sideline,<\/span> Trinidad Chambliss<\/span><\/a> and<\/span> Kewan Lacy<\/span><\/a> have Heisman dreams. Last season, Texas underperformed compared to expectations. This year, expect them to meet those expectations, if not surpass them. In this matchup between two really good football teams, take the Longhorns at home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe 2026 Ole Miss Schedule<\/h2>\n
The Non-Conference Slate<\/h3>\n
Ole Miss’ 2026 SEC Schedule<\/h2>\n
Home Games<\/b><\/h3>\n
Road Slate<\/b><\/h3>\n