No. 24 Louisville and No. 9 Ole Miss meet Sunday night in Nashville with both ranked teams beginning their 2026 seasons under the national spotlight.
The matchup is the inaugural Music City Kickoff and brings together two college football teams with playoff aspirations. Louisville enters its fourth season under Jeff Brohm, while Ole Miss begins a new era under first-year head coach Pete Golding, who was hired following the departure of LSU head coach Lane Kiffin.
The teams last met in 2021, when Ole Miss defeated Louisville 43-24 in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta. Sunday’s rematch gives both programs an early opportunity to make a statement against a ranked opponent.
How to Watch No. 24 Louisville at No. 9 Ole Miss
Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
- TV: ABC
- Live Stream: ESPN App
- Series: Ole Miss leads 1-0
Louisville remains under the direction of Brohm, who has the Cardinals entering another season with high expectations. Running back Isaac Brown is one of the team’s biggest offensive weapons after earning Third Team All-ACC honors in 2025. Brown rushed for 884 yards and seven touchdowns in only nine games while averaging 8.8 yards per carry
Ole Miss begins the Pete Golding era with quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy leading the offense. Chambliss enters the season after producing 3,937 passing yards in 2025, while Lacy returns after rushing for 1,567 yards.
College Football Conference Predictions
Athlon Sports predicts the finishing order for teams in the following conferences:
- ACC
- American
- Big 12
- Big Ten
- Conference USA
- MAC
- Mountain West
- Pac-12
- SEC
- Sun Belt
ALSO SEE:
- Michigan’s Controversial Hail Mary Win Wasn’t All on the Officials
- Poll: Expectations for Notre Dame
- Louisville vs. Ole Miss Prediction and Game Preview
