Ole Miss enters the 2026 season with a new head coach, a tougher schedule and plenty of questions from the national media.
Jake Crain doesn’t understand the skepticism. The Crain & Company host and On3 national analyst joined Talk of Champions this week and made it clear he believes the Rebels possess one of the country’s most complete rosters. More importantly, he believes they have something that can’t be measured on a depth chart.
“It’s the perfect combination of talent, depth and doubt,” Crain said. “If you have those three things, there’s nothing that fuels a football team more than people doubting them.”
Ole Miss is being overlooked
Crain argued that Ole Miss isn’t receiving the same national benefit of the doubt as other programs that have enjoyed similar success in recent years. He pointed to what he called “logo bias,” suggesting the Rebels continue to fight perceptions that don’t match what they’ve accomplished on the field.
12 SEC football teams ranked in the initial ESPN FPI Top 25 ahead of the 2026 season.
— SEC Unfiltered (@SECUnfiltered) July 9, 2026
2. Texas
5. Georgia
8. Alabama
9. LSU
11. Texas A&M
12. Oklahoma
14. Ole Miss
16. Tennessee
18. Florida
21. Mizzou
22. Auburn
23. South Carolina pic.twitter.com/WoxAtSPCmf
While many preseason conversations focus on programs like Texas, Georgia and LSU, Crain believes Ole Miss belongs squarely in that championship discussion. The returning talent, combined with key portal additions and continuity across the roster, gives Pete Golding a team capable of competing for an SEC title.
LSU game could define the SEC race
When asked about the biggest game on Ole Miss’ schedule, Crain quickly pointed to the Sept. 19 showdown against LSU. The rivalry has intensified in recent years, but Crain believes the significance goes well beyond emotion.
𝙒𝙃𝘼𝙏 𝙄𝙁…@olemissfb DESTROYS LSU in Lane Kiffin's return to Oxford??#HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/Z5CWIxOZOe
— Always College Football (@AlwaysCFB) July 13, 2026
He called it one of the most important games in college football because of what it could mean in the SEC standings and the College Football Playoff race. While much of the national conversation has centered around Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford and the storylines surrounding player movement between the two schools, Crain believes the championship implications deserve just as much attention.
“It’s a dual-threat game,” he said. “There’s an immense amount of hate, but there’s also championship relevance. That’s what makes it one of the biggest games in the country.”
Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy headline an explosive offense
Crain didn’t hesitate when discussing Ole Miss’ offensive stars.
He called quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy the nation’s best backfield combination entering the season, arguing that conversation shouldn’t even be controversial, but he believes what surrounds them may be just as important.
Crain praised Ole Miss’ offensive line, calling the transfer portal additions “surgical” rather than excessive, and highlighted the depth at wide receiver as one of the team’s most underrated strengths.
“That’s the goal at Ole Miss. We’re trying to compete for a national title year in and year out.”
— Matt DeGregorio (@Matt_DeGregorio) June 27, 2026
Trinidad Chambliss spoke about the narrative surrounding the Rebels after playing in the CFP semifinals last season: pic.twitter.com/jFyrhPcpel
He specifically pointed to Deuce Alexander, Caleb Cunningham and Johntay Cook as weapons capable of making life easier for Chambliss throughout the season. Rather than relying entirely on portal additions, Crain believes Ole Miss has struck the right balance between roster retention, player development and targeted recruiting.
“You don’t build the boat out of the transfer portal,” Crain said. “You plug holes in the boat with the transfer portal.”
The toughest games aren’t always the obvious ones
Although Ole Miss faces marquee matchups against LSU, Georgia and Texas, Crain believes the games that could derail a championship run are the less glamorous road trips.
Ole Miss will win ___ games in 2026?🦈 pic.twitter.com/nW1GrQuQOw
— On3 (@On3) July 14, 2026
He identified road contests at Florida and Vanderbilt as potential trap games, explaining that championship-caliber teams must avoid emotional letdowns after high-profile SEC battles. Those are the games, he argued, that often determine whether a talented roster reaches Atlanta or falls just short.
Pete Golding earned high marks
Crain also praised first-year head coach Pete Golding for navigating one of the most challenging coaching transitions in recent college football. After taking over the program following Lane Kiffin’s departure, Golding led Ole Miss to a College Football Playoff appearance while keeping the roster largely intact.
“I don’t know how you can’t give him an A-plus,” he said. “Not only for what happened on the field, but for keeping that team together off the field.”
Expectations remain championship-level
The schedule may be more difficult than a year ago, but Crain doesn’t see that changing the standard. He believes Ole Miss has assembled the talent, depth and mentality necessary to contend for both an SEC championship and a return trip to the College Football Playoff.
If the Rebels live up to that potential, the national conversation surrounding Ole Miss could look very different by the end of the season.
