Spring football is going on right now for Louisville football, as Jeff Brohm will try to get this group ready for its massive Week 1 showdown on Sept. 5 against the Ole Miss Rebels. The Cardinals and the Rebels are expected to be one of the better Week 1 matchups, as it will likely be a top-25 showdown.
ESPN just turned up the heat on Jeff Brohm ahead of Louisville’s 2026 season
Ole Miss is coming off a historic season after winning the most games in a season in program history, and ending the year in the College Football Playoffs semifinals, where their season fell short against the National Champions runner-up, the Miami Hurricanes. Both teams have high expectations for next season, but the Vegas oddsmakers apparently aren’t bought into Louisville like some of the Cardinals fans, as the oddsmakers have little to no faith in Brohm and Louisville in this matchup.
Louisville football opens as underdogs against Ole Miss
The Cardinals open up as 8.5-point underdogs against the Rebels in the Week 1 matchup, according to FanDuel. While many Louisville fans anticipated the Cards as underdogs in this matchup, the Vegas opening line of 8.5 points suggests they don’t believe in the Cards as much as others do.
A big reason Ole Miss is a big favorite over Louisville is that Trinidad Chambliss will be available as the Mississippi state court granted the Rebels quarterback a sixth season of eligibility. Last year, Chambliss threw for almost 4,000 yards at 3,937 passing yards and 22 touchdowns, while throwing just three interceptions.
He is expected to be one of the top quarterbacks in college football next season, as he is a dual-threat quarterback who has completed 66.1 percent of his passes while also running for 527 yards and eight touchdowns. Ole Miss is trending to be another CFP contender this upcoming season, but the Cardinals aren’t far behind.
CBS Sports' Brad Crawford predicted the score earlier this week, calling it a “dangerous” game for Ole Miss and predicting the Rebels would win by only three. Louisville is ranked No. 14 in ESPN’s way-too-early rankings, and the Cardinals have the capability to put up points against the Rebels.
The big question for Louisville will be its new quarterback, Lincoln Kienholz. While the ceiling is high for the former 4-star, he just hasn’t had too many game-time reps and experience. Brohm and Louisville will look to use this disrespect as motivation once the fall rolls around. If they can pull off this upset, Louisville will send a quick message to the nation and turn heads nationwide.
Related: Way-too-early Louisville football 2026 game-by-game predictions
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