In a little more than 48 hours, the 2026 Ole Miss football season will kick off at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
The No. 9 Rebels meet No. 24 Louisville in the weekend’s only matchup between teams ranked in the AP Preseason Top 25 Poll. A lot of questions about this new Ole Miss team — first‑year head coach Pete Golding, new offensive coordinator John David Baker and 29 newcomers — will start to get answered in the Music City Kickoff.
And what happens Sunday night could set the tone for everything that follows. Win and the preseason hype keeps rolling. Lose and most of it disappears into thin air like a David Blaine magic trick. The good news for Ole Miss is that sportsbooks — and the staff at HottyToddy.com — expect the Rebels to handle business.
Below are predictions from each staff member and why they think their pick will play out.
Staff Predictions
Andy Hodges
Ole Miss 34, Louisville 31. It is the first game of the year and no coach wants a team in mid-season form then because teams improve over the course of a season but Ole Miss will pull out a win in game that will be closer than some Rebels fans will like. Ole Miss may have some glitches early but get things figured out by the fourth quarter. Lucas Carneiro hits a couple for a 34-31 win. Don’t think he’ll start a consecutive game streak, though, of hitting goal posts in games like he did against Miami.
Taylor Hodges
Ole Miss 31, Louisville 17. I expect Trinidad Chambliss to take a few hits because of the Cardinals’ edge vs. Rebels’ tackles. But also expect Kewan Lacy to have a big day and the Ole Miss defensive line to dominate and make life difficult for Louisville quarterback Lincoln Kienholz.
Nina Houndeshell
Ole Miss 27, Louisville 14. I have full confidence in our offense is coming back as dynamic as they did last year. Coach Golding talked about working through some bumps in the road, but what hasn’t this team faced. We also have new additions on the defensive side that I think are going to cause Louisville some problems.
Ryan Leider
Ole Miss 35, Louisville 28. I think this is a pretty realistic score because I’m expecting a close game. Louisville should be able to put up some points, but I think Ole Miss has enough on offense to keep up and eventually pull ahead. I could see the game being close going into the fourth quarter, with Ole Miss making a few big plays late to win by a touchdown.
Hudson Miller
Ole Miss 31, Louisville 20. A lot of people are debating whether or not the Ole Miss offense will come back as strong as last year, but the offensive line has three returning starters setting the Rebels’ run game up for success. Louisville has a brand new quarterback, Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz, who showed flashes in second halves with the Buckeyes. But from other tape I have seen, he seems overly aggressive. Facing what I expect will be a top 15 defense in the country that could be more hurtful than successful.
Cianna Rivera
Ole Miss 34, Louisville 17. The Rebels had an amazing season last year and will progress even further in 2026. Many believe that a game is won at the line of scrimmage. Though Louisville is a strong opponent, Ole Miss should be capable of dominating in the trenches. With our offense being led by two Heisman trophy contenders and the team under Golding, the Rebels should start their season as 1-0.
