Louisville football is trending to be a real contender in the ACC in the 2026 season, as the Cardinals and Jeff Brohm built one of their best rosters since Brohm arrived in 2023. Louisville landed elite transfers like Tre Richardson and Koen Entringer while recruiting from within and keeping Isaac Brown and AJ Green.
The Cardinals' schedule is manageable for the most part, as their ACC schedule doesn't include Miami, Clemson, Duke, or Virginia, and they play five of the seven worst teams in the conference from last season. However, the Cards do have a big-time Week 1 showdown with Ole Miss, and the game just got a whole lot bigger and much harder after the latest Trinidad Chambliss update.
Related:Â Way-too-early Louisville football 2026 game-by-game predictions
Louisville football's Week 1 showdown just got a whole lot tougher
Chambliss has been fighting the NCAA to try to earn a sixth year of eligibility that would allow him to play in the 2026 season, but the NCAA recently denied him. However, he then appeared in court yesterday at the Chancery Court of Lafayette County, and the state court judge granted Chambliss a sixth year, meaning he will now start and play against the Cardinals in Week 1.
Breaking: Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss has been granted a sixth season of eligibility by a Mississippi state court judge, clearing the way for him to play in 2026.
— ESPN (@espn) February 12, 2026
The NCAA can still appeal. pic.twitter.com/Aa9sU1f8io
With Chambliss returning for another year, all eyes will be on Ole Miss and Louisville for this massive showdown in Nashville, Tenn. Louisville will have the first chance to beat Ole Miss and Chambliss after all of this offseason drama with the Rebels' star quarterback.
Chambliss will be one of the top quarterbacks in college football next season, and he certainly makes it a lot more challenging for the Cards to win. Last year, the star quarterback led Ole Miss to the program's first-ever 11-win regular season and collected two more wins in the College Football Playoff after Ole Miss defeated Tulane and Georgia.
Chambliss logged 3,937 passing yards and 527 rushing yards while also throwing 22 touchdowns to just three interceptions and rushing in for eight touchdowns. He is an elite quarterback who doesn't make too many mistakes and will be a massive first challenge for the Cards.
Louisville is ranked as high as No. 14 in ESPN's way-too-early top 25, and a large reason is because of the Cardinals' edge rushers and defensive line. Louisville has a stacked edge-rush group with Clev Lubin, AJ Green, Tyler Thompson, and Jerod Smith II. Louisville will need a big game from this group if they want to win, as it will need to put pressure on Chambliss and force him into a few mistakes.
Week 1 is going to be a fun challenge for the Cardinals, and Chambliss being available is certainly going to make it a whole lot harder for Louisville. This will likely be a top 25 showdown in Week 1 with Ole Miss trending ot be a top 10 team and Louisville potentially being a top 20 team.