We have a Sunday night clash between the ACC and the SEC when Louisville and Ole Miss meet in the Music City. Nissan Stadium in Nashville, TN is the site for the Week 1 tilt between the Cardinals and the Rebels.
Louisville played and beat Eastern Kentucky, James Madison, Bowling Green, and Kentucky in non-conference play last year. The Cardinals started the season 7-1 (4-1) before losing three straight to push them out of the ACC Championship chase. Louisville ended the season with a win over Kentucky, then a 27-22 win the Boca Raton Bowl. Louisville was picked third in the ACC Preseason Poll entering this season and has a strong offensive line put together via the portal comprised of 142 career starts.
Ole Miss was arguably the most exciting team in the college football playoff last season and had to do it without their head coach in the playoff. Pete Golding takes over at the helm, and he can sleep comfortably at night knowing he has Trinidad Chambliss (3,937 passing yards, 22 TDs, 3 INT) and Kewan Lacy (1,567 rushing yards, 24 TDs) in the backfield for the Rebels. Ole Miss’ schedule last season featured three ranked opponents, but this year they have a whopping six! — at least for now.
Let’s dive into the schools on both sides of the ball, look at a few key players, and see where the numbers take us.
Game Details and How to Watch Louisville vs. Ole Miss
- Date: Sunday, September 6, 2026
- Time: 7:30PM Eastern
- Site: Nissan Stadium
- City: Nashville, TN
- TV/Streaming: ABC / ESPN
Game Odds for Louisville vs Ole Miss
The latest odds as of Monday courtesy of DraftKings:
- Moneyline: Ole Miss Rebels (-258), Louisville Cardinals (+210)
- Spread: Ole Miss -6.5 (-115)
- Total: 55.5 points
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the college football schedule!
Louisville Cardinals
Head Coach: Jeff Brohm
2025 Record: 9-4 (4-4)
Offensive Points Per Game: 29.9 (49th)
Defensive Points Per Game: 21.1 (38th)
2025 Strength of Schedule: 53rd
2026 Strength of Schedule: 58th
The Louisville Cardinals Offense:
In 2025, Louisville scored 30 or more points in five of 13 games. However, they slipped down the stretch with 26 (OT), 19, and 6 points in three losses that spanned over the final four regular season games. The Cardinals move on from Miller Moss to Lincoln Kienholz, the former Ohio State Buckeye. Kienholz has been a backup for Ohio State and only attempted 36 passes in his three-year career (3 total TDs, 318 yards). The Cardinals finished 75th in passing yards per game (220.6) last year and 72nd in passing efficiency (131.65).
Louisville Player to Watch on Offense: RB Issac Brown
In 2024, Isaac Brown became the first-ever freshman to run for 1,000 yards at Louisville! Brown recorded 1,173 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground and would have topped those numbers in 2025 if it wasn’t for an injury. Brown missed four games and finished the season with 884 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 101 carries — 64 less attempts than the year prior. If Brown is 100-percent healthy in 2026, he could literally carry this offense and be a top-five running back nationally.
The Louisville Cardinals Defense:
Louisville finished 2025 ranking 18th in third-down defensive percentage (.331), 56th in red-zone defense (82.4%) and 100th in penalties (90) with 821 yards committed. The defense, as well as the offense, found ways to give their opponents yards and opportunities. On a positive note, Louisville had a terrific rush defense (114.3 ypg, 23rd) and were equally as good in the pass (188.8 ypg, 24th) last year, ranking top 25 in both areas. The Cardinals also averaged 1.7 takeaways per game (T-27th), something they’d like to recreate with this 2026 unit.
Louisville Player to Watch on Defense: DL Clev Lubin
Clev Lubin lived up to the hype in his first year with Louisville. After playing at Charlotte in 2024 and recording 43 tackles, 9.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles, Lubin picked up right where he left off at 59 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles with Louisville in 2025. Lubin did record seven of his 8.5 sacks in non-conference action last year. His ACC sacks came against Clemson (1.0) and Virginia (0.5 sack). Lubin did finish the year running hot with 3.5 sacks against Kentucky (2.0) and Toledo (1.5). He will have his work cut out for him in Week 1 chasing the elusive Trindidad Chambliss.
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Ole Miss Rebels
Head Coach: Pete Golding
2025 Record: 13-2 (7-1)
Offensive Points Per Game: 36.1 (11th)
Defensive Points Per Game: 22.6 (41st)
2025 Strength of Schedule: 31st
2026 Strength of Schedule: 6th
The Ole Miss Rebels Offense:
It would be unfair to mention just quarterback Trindidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy because Ole Miss has some studs on offense. Caleb Odom (19 rec, 197 yards, 2 TDs) is ready to take a leap and become one of the best tight ends in the country standing at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds. The backbone of the team is strong with 92 career starts on the offensive line behind three starters and four transfers. Deuce Alexander is back at wide out (44 rec, 684 yards, 2 TDs) and Ole Miss landed transfers from Syracuse and Auburn to beef up the room. Ole Miss averaged 36.1 points per game with most of that coming under Lane Kiffin — it will be interesting to see how much better this Rebels offense can be.
Ole Miss Player to Watch on Offense: QB Trinidad Chambliss
Trinidad Chambliss bursted onto the scene last year with 353 passing yards, 62 rushing yards, and three touchdowns against Arkansas. In the three games of the College Football Playoff, Chambliss threw for four touchdowns, zero interceptions, recorded two rushing scores, and 639 passing yards. It’s his final year and if he finds a way to outdo last year, (30 total TDs, 3 INT, 4,464 total yards) he might get an invite to the Heisman ceremony.
The Ole Miss Rebels Defense:
Ole Miss returns nine players from last year’s group that exceeded expectation. The Rebels made some strong additions this offseason at linebacker to build off a front seven with two future NFL prospects spearheading the defensive line. Two of three starters that didn’t return come from the secondary, but with Antonio Kite leading the defensive backfield, plus two transfers from Florida and Auburn, the Rebels could even better defensively in 2026.
Ole Miss Player to Watch on Defense: LB Keaton Thomas
With a few starters and a lot of depth players opting to transfer to LSU with Lane Kiffin or elsewhere, Ole Miss had to hit the portal hard to replace a lot of production. One of the home runs Ole Miss hit was signing Keaton Thomas. After two years starting with Baylor, Thomas enters with 205 career tackles, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, and one touchdown. Thomas had five double-digit tackle performance last year, including a career-high 16 in the season-opener versus Auburn. The senior linebacker is a ballhawk and could lead Ole Miss in tackles.
Louisville and Ole Miss Team Stats, Betting Trends
- Louisville was 4-9 ATS last season, ranking tied for 11th-worst
- Ole Miss was 9-6 ATS last season
- Louisville was 7-6 to the Under last season
- Ole Miss was 8-7 ATS last season
- Louisville was 1-1 ATS as an underdog last season and 2-0 to the Under
- Ole Miss was 7-4 ATS as a favorite last season and 7-4 to the Under
Rotoworld Best Bets
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) leans Kewan Lacy to go Over his rushing prop:
“It’s early in the week, so without knowing the prop line yet, Kewan Lacy to go Over his rushing yards will be something on my radar.
Louisville loses three of their four defensive lineman from a year ago and are weaker on the inside. The Cardinals have a good linebacker group that return to a defense that allowed 114.3 rushing yards per game (23rd-best). However, when Louisville went on that three-game losing streak near the end of last year, the Cardinals allowed 90 rushing yards to SMU’s TJ Harden, 105 yards to Clemson’s Adam Randall, plus 83 to California’s Kendrick Raphael. Lacy could outdo all three of them as he’s the best back Louisville will fall all season.
Lacy to go Over his rushing prop will be something I will keep an eye on and his odds for an anytime touchdown and to score two-plus times.”
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