How Ole Miss Football Sits in Rare Territory Alongside Oregon Ducks, Oklahoma Sooners

Pete Golding and the Ole Miss Rebels continue navigating a pivotal offseason in Oxford after a historic 2025 season following the program's first College Football Playoff appearance.

In what became an unprecedented season for Ole Miss, the Rebels achieved the best season in program history with Trinidad Chambliss leading the way in the Magnolia State.

Chambliss finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting in 2025 after leading the Rebels to the College Football Playoff semifinals where he totaled 30 touchdowns; surging as one of the top signal-callers in America.

The dual-threat signal-caller will be one of the top returning players in college football after throwing 3,927 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2025, while adding 520 rushing yards and eight scores; fueling the Rebels.

“God has been so good to me and this team,” said Chambliss last month following a College Football Playoff run. “It’s been a great ride. I wouldn’t want to do it with any other people, whether it’s coaches, players, people in the offices. It’s just been a great ride.

But the run to the College Football Playoff is just one piece to the athletic department that places Ole Miss in rare territory.

The Ole Miss Rebels sit alongside the Oregon Ducks, Oklahoma Sooners, UCLA Bruins, Florida Gators, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Tennessee Volunteers as programs that have a head coach in football and men’s basketball currently that have coached in a Final Four and College Football Playoff.

Schools who have a head coach in football and men’s basketball currently that have coached in a Final Four and College Football Playoff pic.twitter.com/4F27IYkSql
— College Football Zone (@CollegeFBonX) March 21, 2026

The Rebels continue ascending with athletics director Keith Carter at the helm with the program becoming well-rounded across all sports in Oxford.

“To be honest with you, I think I’ll just remember how they embraced each other,” Golding said of Ole Miss and the CFP run. “There was a lot over the last month or so to where somebody could have not been a good dude. Somebody could’ve not worked hard.

"Somebody could have not showed up on time. I can’t recall one issue, and that’s just based on who these guys are. They took over the team and they showed up everyday and went to work and made sure the people around them went to work.

“For me, it’s the smiles. It’s the memories, the laughs, and the times with those guys. The camaraderie man… they grew together. They’re gonna be talking about this for a long time. Some of it’s gonna be what could have happened and those types of things, but they’ve made memories in that locker room that will last a lifetime. For a lot of this group coming back, there’s gonna be a chip on their shoulder."

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