Ole Miss football vs Louisville date, time set for 2026 opener in Nashville

This story has been updated with new information

OXFORD — The day for Ole Miss football’s 2026 season opener is set.

The Rebels will face Louisville on Sunday, Sept. 6, at 6:30 p.m. The game will air on ABC and be played in Nashville at Nissan Stadium, where the Tennessee Titans play.

Ole Miss announced the news March 5. The opener was originally set to be played on either Sept. 5 or Sept. 6.

The game will mark the beginning of Pete Golding‘s first full season as head coach of the Rebels. He is 2-1 in his career as a head coach that began on Nov. 30 when he was promoted to replace Lane Kiffin, who left for LSU.

The Rebels and Cardinals have only played once. The other meeting was also a neutral-site game to open the season. That was in 2021, when the Rebels beat the Cardinals 43-24 in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta.

Ole Miss is 2-1 at Nissan Stadium. The Rebels beat Georgia Tech 25-17 there in the 2013 Music City Bowl and beat Vanderbilt there 41-3 in the 2014 regular season. Ole Miss also lost 49-38 to West Virginia at Nissan Stadium in the 2000 Music City Bowl.

Ole Miss is coming off a 13-2 season that ended in the Fiesta Bowl as part of the College Football Playoff. The Rebels expect to return quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy.

Louisville was 9-4 in 2025, and went 4-4 in ACC play.

Ole Miss football 2026 schedule

• Week 1, Sept. 6: Ole Miss vs. Louisville (Nashville)
• Week 2, Sept. 12: Ole Miss vs. Charlotte
• Week 3, Sept. 19: Ole Miss vs. LSU
• Week 4, Sept. 26: Ole Miss at Florida
• Week 5, Oct. 3: Open date
• Week 6, Oct. 10: Ole Miss at Vanderbilt
• Week 7, Oct. 17: Ole Miss vs. Missouri
• Week 8, Oct. 24: Ole Miss at Texas
• Week 9, Oct. 31: Ole Miss vs. Auburn
• Week 10, Nov. 7: Ole Miss vs. Georgia
• Week 11, Nov. 14: Ole Miss at Oklahoma
• Week 12, Nov. 21: Ole Miss vs. Wofford
• Week 13, Nov. 28: Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State

Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss vs Louisville date, time set for football opener in Nashville