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College GameDay Makes Official Picks for Texas vs. Ole Miss

The College GameDay crew had some interesting picks for the Texas vs. Ole Miss matchup.
Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding speaks during ESPN College GameDay ahead of the Ole Miss-LSU game in The Grove in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026.
Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding speaks during ESPN College GameDay ahead of the Ole Miss-LSU game in The Grove in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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The Texas Longhorns are in danger of suffering their third straight loss and kissing their College Football Playoff hopes goodbye on Saturday night in Austin.

No. 19 Texas will host No. 7 Ole Miss for a primetime SEC matchup, looking to get back on track after back-to-back losses.

Had Texas handled business against two unranked opponents in Oklahoma and Florida, perhaps College GameDay would have been in Austin on Saturday morning for a Top-10 fixture. Instead, ESPN's legendary pregame show was in Salt Lake City for No. 10 Utah vs. No. 14 Houston.

But maybe additional fanfare wouldn't help a Texas team that needs to flush out the negative noise now more than ever.

Here is how the College GameDay crew thinks the Texas-Ole Miss matchup will play out. Kirk Herbstreit didn't make a pick since he's calling the game from DKR.

Desmond Howard

Desmond Howard
Desmond Howard laughs as fans chant a profane chant relating to Lane Kiffin during ESPN's College GameDay show held outside of Ayres Hall on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville, Tenn. on Sept. 26, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Pick: Ole Miss

Howard is going with the Rebels.

"I tell you what, we've been talking about Arch and Sark, and all I can tell you is the carpenter is only as good as his tools. Defensively, without Colin Simmons, I don't see how they're going to stop that Ole Miss offense with Trinidad Chambliss. I'm going with Ole Miss."

Nick Saban

Pick: Texas

Saban's game predictions often get the most attention due to his legendary knowlegde of the game. He's very familiar with Steve Sarkisian, and perhaps knows something that the rest of the country doesn't.

Saban was the only one to pick Texas.

"I think this is a great matchup, absolutely. But I think with Texas, with their back against the wall, they're going to respond the right way in this game plan at home. I'm going to take Texas."

Dalton Kincaid (celebrity guest picker, Buffalo Bills TE)

Pick: Ole Miss

Kincaid, who is off to a solid start this season with the Buffalo Bills, is going with Ole Miss.

"I'm also taking Ole Miss here," Kincaid said. "I think Trinidad Chambliss is one of the, if not the best, quarterback in college football. So I believe they go in there and they take down Texas."

Pat McAfee

Pick: Ole Miss

Thankfully, McAfee didn't go on a long tangent when making his selection.

In doing so, he did everyone a favor, but is still picking Ole Miss.

“This was the old coin flip here because both these teams were teams that I said I'm picking regardless, and they both have had losses that have broken my heart," McAfee said. "I'm going to go with Trinidad Chambliss getting a huge win down in Austin. Give me Ole Miss as the underdog down there.”

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Zach Dimmitt
ZACH DIMMITT

Zach Dimmitt is the Deputy Editor for Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI. He also contributes as a writer for the On SI channels of the Oregon Ducks, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Buffalo Bills on SI, Philadelphia Eagles on SI and Seattle Seahawks on SI. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Dimmitt received his Bachelor’s Degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin in 2022. He originally started with SI’s Fan Nation network in 2021, providing extensive coverage of the NFL and NBA along with college football and basketball. In that time, Dimmitt has published thousands of stories and has reached millions of people across multiple fan bases. You can follow him on X at @ZachDimmitt7

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