Louisville football gets a major update on the Cardinals' opening game against the Ole Miss Rebels. With the Cardinals dominating the Transfer Portal and Ole Miss learning that its star quarterback, Trinidad Chambliss, will be eligible next season, this Week 1 showdown is already raising many eyebrows.
The Cards and Rebels showdown has the potential to be a top-15 showdown, with Louisville being ranked No. 14 and Ole Miss being ranked No. 9 in ESPN’s way-too-early rankings. And with these two set to kick off in Week 1, the schools officially announced the date and time, and Cardinals fans should love it.
Related: Louisville's Ole Miss showdown just got harder after huge Trinidad Chambliss update
Louisville football gets huge opportunity to make a statement
Louisville and Ole Miss are officially scheduled to kick off on Sunday, Sept. 6, at 7:30 p.m. local time. While the Cardinals fans will have to wait an extra day for the season's first game, Louisville is getting the respect it deserves and earning a prime-time game for this huge Week 1 showdown.
This showdown will take place inside Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., and will be broadcast on ABC. The Cardinals have been turning heads early this offseason, and Louisville getting the opportunity to play Ole Miss on ABC at prime time is exactly what the Cards fans should have been hoping for.
The Cardinals are consistently this underrated team that not many know about or talk about, but Louisville, taking on Ole Miss after its CFP semifinals run, and after Chambliss being ruled eligible, all eyes will be on this game, giving Louisville a huge chance to shock the nation and to put their program on everyone’s radar.
Louisville had the fifth-best transfer class, according to On3 Sports, as it didn’t just land a bunch of commitments; it also recruited from within and avoided nightmare situations. The Cards added 4-stars in Tre Richardson and Lawayne McCoy in its wide receiver room, and added former 4-star Ohio State commit Lincoln Kienholz to be their next starting quarterback. But the biggest news was finding a way to keep Isaac Brown and have him return for his junior season after averaging 8.8 yards per carry last season.
On defense, Louisville will be led by key returners in AJ Green, Clev Lubin, Stanquan Clark, Antonio Watts, and TJ Capers. They also added Iowa transfer Koen Entringer to play safety and former Kentucky starting cornerback DJ Waller.
Louisville vs. Ole Miss should be an absolute battle, and with both teams expecting to compete for the College Football Playoffs, it fully deserves a kickoff time on national TV. A lot of college football fans will be eager to see Chambliss and Ole Miss back in action after reaching the CFP semifinals this past January, but Louisville will have the chance to send a statement to the nation and to earn a massive Week 1 win.