Ole Miss Football released its 2026 season schedule on Thursday, Dec. 11. This is the first year the Rebels will play nine SEC opponents and a non-conference Power Four team in the regular season.
Week 1
The Rebels will open up the 2026 season in Nashville against the Louisville Cardinals on Labor Day weekend. The game will be held at Nissan Stadium, the home of the Tennessee Titans, which is a neutral site.
The Cardinals are coming off an 8-4 regular season, which earned them an appearance in the Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans. Louisville had an impressive season in 2025 highlighted by a 24-21 win over the then-No. 2 Miami Hurricanes. They also beat James Madison, another playoff team.
The Rebels opened the season against Louisville in 2021 and won 43-24 — the only time the teams have ever played each other. This game should come as one of the more competitive and meaningful opening weekend games the Rebels have had in several years.
Week 2
Sept. 12 is the official home opener for Ole Miss against Charlotte. This will also serve as the first ever matchup between the Rebels and the 49ers.
Charlotte had an unfortunate 2025 season with just one win and 11 losses. This was the 49ers’ first season under head coach Tim Albin.
Charlotte will become a familiar opponent for the Rebels as the two teams will also face off in the 2027 season.
Week 3
The LSU Tigers visit Oxford on Sept. 19. This game will mark Lane Kiffin’s return to Ole Miss.
LSU finished the 2025 season 7-5 and qualified for the Kinder’s Texas Bowl. The Tigers fired their head coach Brian Kelly mid-season and hired Kiffin shortly after Ole Miss’ win in the Egg Bowl.
This Magnolia Bowl will be one for the ages. Kiffin and Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding, as former colleagues, are aware of each other’s play styles. There will be lots of familiar faces on both sides of the ball.
Week 4
Ole Miss will travel to Gainesville, Fla., to take on the Florida Gators on Sept. 26.
The Gators had a subpar season in 2025. They finished 4-8 and fired head coach Billy Napier. The Rebels took down the Gators 34-24 in Week 11.
Florida will be looking for a new identity. The Gators hired former Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall; their offense will feature a new quarterback, too, after former quarterback DJ Lagway entered the transfer portal at the conclusion of the season.
Ole Miss is a recently familiar opponent for Sumrall, due to Tulane’s three matchups with Ole Miss in the past two seasons. A win in Gainesville will not be easy, but it will be crucial in the beginning weeks of conference play.
Week 6
After a Week 5 bye, the Rebels will return to Nashville to face the Vanderbilt Commodores on Oct. 10.
The Commodores had a mightily impressive season in 2025. With a 9-2 record, they finished above .500 for the first time since 2013 and nearly earned an at-large bid into the playoff.
Vanderbilt has seen growing success with Clark Lea at the helm, who recently signed an extension to remain the coach for the next six seasons. This should be a well-matched contest and will serve as a valuable opportunity for the Rebels to show they can compete with anyone in the conference.
Week 7
The Missouri Tigers will come to Oxford on Oct. 17 for the first time since 2019.
The Tigers had an above average season in 2025. They finished the year 8-4 and will compete in the Taxslayer Gator Bowl. All four of their losses came against Top 25 teams. Mizzou finished 10-3 in 2024 and 11-2 in 2023. They are a sneaky tough opponent in the conference, and Ole Miss can ill afford to overlook them.
Week 8
The Rebels will make a trip to Austin, Texas for a matchup against the Texas Longhorns. This will be the first game between the two teams since Texas joined the SEC.
This season, the Longhorns finished No. 5 in the SEC and charted a 9-3 record and a trip to the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. Two of Texas’ losses came against current Top 4 teams (No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Georgia), and the other came against Florida on the road. With wins against No. 7 Texas A & M and No. 8 Oklahoma, the Longhorns were also contenders for the College Football Playoff; they were ranked No. 13 in the final CFP rankings.
A win against the Longhorns would be major for the Rebels. Texas is likely to continue their stretch of success into 2026 with both head coach Steve Sarkisian and quarterback Arch Manning returning.
Week 9
On October 31, the Rebels will welcome the Auburn Tigers to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
In the tail end of conference play, every win matters, especially when the goal is to make the College Football Playoffs. A win over Auburn will be a necessity for the Rebels.
The Tigers had a difficult run in 2025; they finished the season 5-7 and fired head coach Hugh Freeze. They hired former USF head coach Alex Golesh in late November, and Auburn will look to find new life under him next season.
Week 10
The Georgia Bulldogs will come to Oxford on Nov. 7. This will be the third meeting between the Bulldogs and the Rebels in the past three seasons.
Georgia is perennially one the best teams in the country. In 2025, the Bulldogs finished the regular season 11-1 and were crowned SEC champions, earning the No. 3 seed in the playoff. They defeated Ole Miss 43-35 on Oct. 18, which was the Rebels’ only loss of the season. An Ole Miss victory here will be crucial in securing a playoff berth.
Week 11
The Rebels will travel to Norman, Okla., on Nov. 14 to play the Oklahoma Sooners.
The Sooners finished 2025 with a 10-2 record and the No. 8 seed in the playoff. One of their losses was a 34-26 defeat at the hands of the Rebels.
This game is one of the three set matchups for Ole Miss through 2029, so these two teams will continue to develop a rivalry over the coming years. The Rebels can set a precedent of dominance for the foreseeable future with a win.
Week 12
The Wofford Terriers will visit Oxford on Nov. 21 for the Rebels’ first non-SEC matchup since Week 2.
Wofford finished 5-6 in the 2025 season, which puts them at No 4 in the Southern conference. The Terriers started the season strong but finished with five consecutive losses.
After facing a challenging SEC schedule, Ole Miss should not have trouble with Wofford. Still, the Rebels cannot overlook the Terriers; a loss here would be catastrophic for the Rebels’ playoff hopes.
Week 13
The Egg Bowl will return to Oxford on Saturday, Nov. 28 for the 123rd rivalry game between Mississippi State and Ole Miss.
The Bulldogs finished this season 5-7 and were able to land a bowl game appearance in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. The Rebels defeated State in this year’s Egg Bowl 38-19.
Despite a losing season, the Bulldogs are showing growth under head coach Jeff Lebby and have a promising future with sophomore star quarterback Kamario Taylor. This game is typically a battle for both teams, regardless of their records at the time. A rivalry win is always important; the Rebels will look to beat the Bulldogs for the fourth year in a row.
