It’s officially official. Ole Miss is a top 10 football team.
The AP Preseason Top 25 Poll was released Monday morning and had the Rebels ranked No. 9.
It’s not the highest ranking the Rebels have had in recent years. Ole Miss began the 2024 season ranked No. 6. But it is the second-highest preseason ranking since Ole Miss was ranked No. 5 in 1970.
Ole Miss was ranked No. 3 in the final poll for the 2025 season after falling to Miami in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
In the grand scheme of things, the poll didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know. The preseason hype around Ole Miss has been real and loud.
From Kirk Herbstreit calling Trinidad Chambliss the face of college football (twice) to preseason Heisman campaigns for Chambliss and Kewan Lacy, previous seasons haven’t received this much attention and hype.
But the time for talk is nearly over and the road begins with a top 25 matchup. In 20 days, Ole Miss will begin its season against No. 24 Louisville in the Music City Kickoff game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
Chambliss, Lacy named to Player of the Year watch list
The Walter Camp Football Foundation dropped its preseason Player of the Year watch list Monday, and Ole Miss landed two familiar names. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy were both selected, making the Rebels one of nine programs with multiple players on the 50-man list.
Chambliss is coming off a semifinalist run for the award in 2025 and returns as one of the top quarterbacks in the country. He threw for 3,937 yards and 22 touchdowns last season and added 527 yards and eight scores on the ground. His preseason haul already includes the Maxwell Award watch list, first team All-America honors from On3 and spots on several preseason all-SEC teams.
Lacy’s résumé is just as strong. He set program records with 1,567 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns last fall, earned first team All-America honors and finished as a Doak Walker Award finalist. His 2026 preseason nods include the Maxwell watch list, first team All-America recognition from Walter Camp, ESPN, On3, Athlon and Phil Steele, plus first team all-SEC honors across multiple outlets.
Here’s the full preseason poll from the AP released Monday:
AP Preseason Top 25 Poll
- Ohio State
- Oregon
- Georgia
- Notre Dame
- Texas
- Indiana
- Maimi (Fla.)
- Texas A&M
- Ole Miss
- Oklahoma
- LSU
- Texas Tech
- Alabama
- BYU
- USC
- Michigan
- Washington
- Penn State
- SMU
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Iowa
- Houston
- Louisville
- Missouri
Others receiving votes: Clemson 112, Florida 51, Boise State 43, Arizona 32, TCU 11, Navy 10, South Carolina 10, Illinois 9, Oklahoma State 8, Vanderbilt 8, Pittsburgh 7, Virginia Tech 6, Minnesota 5, UNLV 4, New Mexico 4, Georgia Tech 4, Louisiana 4, James Madison 3, Auburn 3, Memphis 2, California 2, Liberty 1, Western Michigan 1, Tulane 1, Virginia 1
