Rebel Rundown: Previewing No. 13 Missouri at No. 9 Ole Miss in CFP-Like Matchup

Ole Miss came out of the bye week with questions to address and eased some of them with a, 52-17, blowout win over Vanderbilt. However, this weekend provides a much different test.

The Rebels are back at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for the first time in four weeks, where they’ll meet a hot Missouri team that has looked the part of a College Football Playoff qualifier through six games.

The stakes are nearly as high as any regular season game could be, as both teams enter with one-loss resumes and with little margin for error to go. Ole Miss On SI’s Tyler Komis previews the CFP-like matchup between No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 13 Missouri in Episode 104 of The Rebel Rundown.

Kickoff between the Rebels and Tigers is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.

On Missouri

Sep 26, 2026; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Austin Simmons (13) passes the ball during the third quarter against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“It’s scary to know how good he is and how talented he is. Love Austin," Golding said of Missouri quarterback Austin Simmons earlier this week. "He did an unbelievable job while he was here. He’s got an elite arm talent, always has, (and) he’s more athletic than you think. It’s fun watching him develop as the season goes. You know, obviously he had two games under his belt here and then got hurt. You see him getting better week in and week out. Relating it back to when he was here there’s certain things you got to go back from a scrimmage standpoint and all those things. What affected him? What didn’t affect him?

So you know a little bit about the personality and the mentality and all that. Different offense now, different scheme, different design and all those type of things. But I think it helps more than it hurts obviously when you know guys’ demeanors and you know how they think and all those type of things. But I know he’s super competitive. He’s got elite leadership ability and you can see that in his play.”

“You’re talking about three guys that have started here for us, you know, on a playoff football team. And so we know they’re all good players. A lot of our guys obviously have really good relationships with those guys. They were multi-year guys that were here. I think there’s a natural respect for them. Obviously in a friendship from a locker room standpoint. Obviously, I recruited Chris (Graves Jr.) and coached Chris. Chris has a lot of ability, can be a really good football player. Started a lot of games around here. And I wish him a lot of luck — other than this week. I mean, we’re playing against them, so we’re trying to whoop Chris’s ass this week, you know? I think they’ll come ready to play. All three of them are really good competitors. They’re good players. Probably got a little chip on their shoulder too. It’ll be fun to see them.”

Sign up for our free newsletterand follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google