Why Louisville Is the Perfect Week 1 Test for Pete Golding

Ole Miss starts their season in Nashville, Tennessee, against the Louisville Cardinals in the Liberty Mutual Music City Kickoff.

The last time the Rebels opened their season against a Power Four school was back in 2021 when they played Louisville in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.

These two teams are vastly different since the last time they saw each other. They are led by completely different coaches, and their expectations have increased. The Cardinals are just as hungry as the Rebels to make it to the playoffs, making this matchup the perfect test for Pete Golding's squad.

Louisville's 2025 Season

Louisville Cardinals quarterback Miller Moss returns to the field after celebrating with the fans in the stands | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last year, the Cardinals were led by head coach Jeff Brohm and finished the year 9-4. Despite beating then-No. 2 Miami, they went 4-4 in conference play in the ACC. Three of those losses came in overtime.

If all of those losses go their way, they would have finished the season 11-1 and made the College Football Playoff.

The Louisville team Ole Miss will play

Louisville’s Lincoln Kienholz throws the ball against Louisville in the Spring Football game | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Cardinals graduated 19 players from last year's team and were forced to do a complete rehaul for the 2026 season. Louisville lost their starting quarterback, three of their wide receivers, and a lot of their offensive line.

This year, Brohm will have a new quarterback in Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz. He will be throwing to Tre Richardson, Lawayne McCoy, and TreyShun Hurry.

Richardson is the only one who has played against an SEC team, and he’s somebody the Rebels have to keep their eye on. Last year for Vanderbilt, he caught 46 passes for 806 yards and seven touchdowns.

The defensive side of the ball took as big of a hit as the offense. They lost 10 key players from last year's team. The Rebels will have to watch out for defensive end Clev Lubin, who had 13.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles.

Their secondary is led by Iowa transfer Koen Entringer, who had 73 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, and four pass breakups. He also received all-Big Ten Honors last year.

Why this is a great week one matchup for the Rebels

Mississippi Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss reacts during the fourth quarter against the Tulane Green Wave | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ole Miss is going against a team that doesn’t have its identity yet. The Rebels will likely come away with a win because they are a much more seasoned team who have had more time playing in their schemes.

It will be a great game for Trinidad Chambliss to become comfortable with his new receivers, who will be going against a solid secondary. This game will also show how John David Baker's new style of offense will run against a Power Four defense.

On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of new transfers will get the chance to start or be rotated in for the Rebels. This will allow guys to show Golding what they can do for this team.

The Rebels should win this week one matchup. It isn’t a cakewalk, but they have a better team, and Golding will find out a lot about his squad in this important first matchup.

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