David Pollack Predicts Winner of Ole Miss-Louisville Matchup in Week 1

The only game between two ranked teams on college football's Week 1 slate comes Sunday night when No. 9 Ole Miss takes on No. 24 Louisville in Nashville in the Liberty Mutual Music City Kickoff.

While optimism and expectations are high as ever for the Rebels coming off a run to the College Football Playoff semifinals last season, college football analyst David Pollack cautioned how quickly Ole Miss' outlook could change with a loss this weekend.

"Obviously, if Ole Miss loses this one, with their schedule, I'm not going to eliminate them, but dadgum, it's going to be a lot harder for them to get into the College Football Playoff," Pollack said on his "See Ball Get Ball" podcast.

To that point, Pollack also touted Louisville coach Jeff Brohm's history of major upset victories.

That list includes Louisville's win over then-No. 2 Miami a year ago, winning at No. 11 Clemson in 2024 and beating No. 10 Notre Dame in 2023. Brohm also scored major upsets in his time coaching Purdue, toppling No. 2 Ohio State in 2018, No. 2 Iowa on the road in 2021 and No. 3/5 Michigan State that same season.

Jeff Brohm is the KING of Upsets in College Football 🐐

2025 - W @ #2 Miami (24-21)
2024 - W vs. #11 Clemson (33-21)
2023 - W vs. #10 Notre Dame (33-20)
2021 - W vs. #3 Michigan State (40-29)
2021 - W vs. #2 Iowa (24-7)
2018 - W vs. #2 Ohio State (49-20) pic.twitter.com/x9L83EdqXJ
— College Football Report (@CFBReport) October 18, 2025

"You're not coming out the gate with Little Sisters of the Poor. Brohm is a ball coach," Pollack said. "Brohm is great as an underdog, consistently wins more than 50 percent of the time as an underdog."

Ole Miss is set as a -6.5-point favorite, per DraftKings Sportsbook.

All of that said, Pollack made his prediction for the big Sunday night showdown, taking Ole Miss, 31-21, as Pete Golding starts his first full season as Rebels coach after replacing Lane Kiffin in the playoffs last year and leading the team to two CFP wins.

"I'm rocking with Ole Miss. I'm going with Hotty Toddy. I'm not going with the upset. I've got 31-21 Ole Miss," he said. "I think a few big plays from Louisville, but I just don't know about the quarterback spot yet. I think it will get better as the season goes on, but I think it's a tough spot when you're playing against this Ole Miss defensive line that is going to get pressure on you, make life hard on you. A few turnovers are the difference."

Quarterbacks will be in the spotlight on both sides for different reasons.

Pete Golding enters his first full season as Ole Miss head coach after taking over in the postseason last year. — Pete Golding enters his first full season as Ole Miss head coach after taking over in the postseason last year and leading the Rebels to two College Football Playoff wins. Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ole Miss Looks To Build On Momentum With QB Trinidad Chambliss

Ole Miss returns one of college football's best in Trinidad Chambliss, a strong Heisman Trophy candidate after passing for 3,937 yards, 22 touchdowns and 3 interceptions while rushing for 527 yards and 8 TDs last season in his FBS debut.

Chambliss came out of nowhere last year as a transfer from Division II Ferris State, taking over for Ole Miss when starter Austin Simmons sustained an early-season ankle injury and ran away with the job. His return -- after a protracted battle in the courts to regain his eligibility for 2026 -- is a major reason why the Rebels are expected to again push for a CFP berth after their breakthrough 13-2 finish last season.

Ole Miss also returns star running back Kewan Lacy, who rushed for 1,567 yards and 24 touchdowns last season (with 177 receiving yards), but it loses five of its top six receivers from 2025, with Deuce Alexander (44 catches for 684 yards and 2 TDs), the holdover now joined atop the depth chart by Syracuse transfers Darrell Gill Jr. and Johntay Cook II.

Meanwhile, John David Baker, the offensive coordinator at East Carolina for the last two years, returns to the Ole Miss staff as OC.

"You think about Ole Miss, you've got a new guy calling plays. The thing I like and the thing that makes me feel very comfortable is that Trinidad is an older quarterback whose been there done that. I trust him. It's usually players over play-callers by any stretch of the imagination," Pollack said.

"But Trinidad with a new offense -- who are the go-to receivers, what does the system look like? I know Lacy's going to look good; I know they'll have balance. Are they going to play at breakneck tempo because they changed their tempos and altered their tempos really well in the past -- what does that look like?

"And I think everybody is curious about Ole Miss' defense. I know the front seven is going to be good. I know the front seven is going to be good. I have 100 percent confidence they'll be good. Back end, what does it look like?"

Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz takes over as Louisville's starting quarterback in 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

New QB But Louisville Returns Elite RB Duo

On the other side, Louisville is breaking in a new starting quarterback for the fourth time in four years under Brohm as Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz takes over. Rated a four-star prospect and ranked the No. 11 QB recruit in the 2023 class by 247Sports, Kienholz attempted just 36 passes in his time with the Buckeyes, so this will be his first real chance to prove himself as a college quarterback.

"What is Lincoln Kienholz? Does he have training wheels on? Does Brohm have to have him in training wheels because he's coming from Ohio State, totally different system?" Pollack said. "I think one thing that should disturb you playing against him and game-planning for him, this dude's a really good athlete, he can run the football.

"[Running back Isaac] Brown going one way, Kienholz going the other way, that's not fun. I don't know fully what he's going to do, what this offense is going to look like ... but the wheels will be a big part of the game plan. You don't know what it's going to look like, but you know he's a big-time talent."

Brohm has turned Louisville into a perennial success regardless of roster turnover, going 10-4, 9-4 and 9-4 in his first three seasons.

As noted, the Cardinals do return some other key offensive playmakers, though, in running backs Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown (no relation). The former rushed for 884 yards and 7 TDs on 8.8 yards per carry last season, while the latter rushed for 704 yards and 6 TDs on 7.3 YPC, forming one of the most formidable backfield tandems in the country.

"Isaac Brown, what can Brown do for you? That dude is absolutely unbelievable. The playmaking, the home run ability, so I think we're going to learn a lot about Ole Miss," Pollack said.

"Listen, there's a lot of people that don't think Ole Miss is going to be very good this year. We're not one of them here. We think they're going to pick up and continue to have success, but this ain't an easy W. They're going to have to work for this. Neutral site and a lot of unknowns that we're going to figure out about this new Ole Miss team and how good they can be, and can they be a real contender throughout the season?"

Add us as a preferred source on Google