Projecting a year out which college football teams will be good and which ones won’t is a fool’s errand.
With transfer portal not open yet, the College Football Playoff and bowl games still to be played and possibly even more coaching changes to come, a team that looks like an “easy win” today might not look so easy tomorrow.
But that’s going to stop this writer from going on that fool’s errand. Now that we have the full SEC schedule, let’s dive into it.
There are some teams that are always good. For Ole Miss next season, those schools are Texas, Georgia and Oklahoma. In fact, if Alabama was on the schedule, that’d be the four SEC teams who are consistently good.
Other teams like LSU, Florida, Auburn and Missouri could be really good. Or they could be really bad. A lot of things will happen in the next few months to change the outlook of these teams.
Then there’s a team like Vanderbilt who historically has not been good, but has had two great seasons back-to-back. Can the Commodores sustain that success long term?
There’s also non-conference games against Charlotte and Wofford that are already considered wins and a season-opening game against Louisville. (Go ask Notre Dame how important a season-opening game can be.)
Finally, can’t forget about Mississippi State. The Bulldogs improved its win total from 2024 by three games and gave some SEC teams all they could handle (Tennessee and Texas). But they also played like their 2024 selves against Georgia and Missouri.
So, what are the big games in 2026 for Ole Miss?
Four games stand out for varying reasons, and we’ll start with what’s already the biggest game of the season for Ole Miss.
September 19: LSU at Ole Miss
The return of Lane Kiffin to Oxford should be a unique experience. Consider how the fans in Knoxville welcomed Kiffin back after more than a decade since Kiffin left Tennessee for USC.
Not only will there not be a period of time to try and heal wounds, Kiffin’s exit from Ole Miss was a lot messier and right before Ole Miss played in its first-ever playoff game.
The boos alone will be deafening and like I wrote last night in the schedule release story, Kiffin may want consider something that offers more protection than a visor when he comes back to Oxford.
(If Kiffin does bring any Ole Miss players to LSU, everything will be amplified.)
November 7: Georgia at Ole Miss
As it stands right now, Georgia is the best opponent on the Rebels’ 2026 schedule.
It’s conceivable that a team like Texas, Oklahoma, LSU or maybe even Florida could take the lead in the offseason, but for now, it’s the Bulldogs.
October 24: Ole Miss at Texas
If only this could’ve been a home game for Ole Miss. Imagine the scene of a quarterback with the name Manning on his back playing in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for a team that isn’t Ole Miss.
Arch Manning (assuming he returns for another season) has the biggest name in Ole Miss athletics on his jersey and would pass by statues of his grandfather and uncle at Ole Miss.
Oh, what fun it would’ve been. But the sports gods didn’t see fit to grant this amazing scene.
Instead, the Rebels will have to go to Austin and hope Bevo doesn’t escape his enclosure.
November 14: Ole Miss at Oklahoma
It almost doesn’t seem fair that Ole Miss has to go to both Texas and Oklahoma in the same season, but scheduling quirks happen. That’s why the Rebels are going to Norman, Okla. for a second-straight season.
Considering how the last trip went, maybe it’s not such a bad thing after all.
