We’re just over 100 days away from college football ramping up on Mississippi’s Division I scene, and we now have a better look at when the state’s two SEC programs will be playing early in the season.
The conference announced Wednesday the kickoff times and TV information for the first three games of the season, though Ole Miss fans had already been given a sneak peek at when the Rebels will be playing.
Kickoff times and corresponding TV slots had already been announced for the season opener versus Louisville and the highly anticipated game three matchup versus LSU. The red and blue will face the Cardinals in Nashville’s Nissan Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 5, at 6:30 p.m., while the rivalry versus Lane Kiffin’s Tigers will occur on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 6:30 p.m. Both games will be televised by ABC.
As for the home opener, the first Ole Miss football game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium will occur versus Charlotte on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 6:45 p.m., which will be a positive for fans looking to beat the Mississippi heat. The game will air on either ESPN2 or SEC Network.
For Mississippi State, the Bulldogs’ season opener versus Louisiana Monroe will kick off on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 6:30 p.m. on ESPNU. The maroon and white will then get the once-coveted 2:30 p.m. CBS slot in a matchup versus Minnesota on Saturday, Sept. 12. Mississippi State will begin conference play against South Carolina on Saturday, Sept. 19, with the battle airing on the SEC Network at 3:15 p.m. CT.
Pertinent to both teams, the annual Egg Bowl between the Rebels and Bulldogs, being played in Oxford this season, will once again occur on Black Friday, Nov. 27 at 11 a.m. The rivalry will air on ABC.
And for those who enjoy tuning into the games via radio, you’re in luck — Ole Miss and Mississippi State football will continue to air on participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.
Ole Miss begin things in the fall with defensive coordinator turned head coach Pete Golding leading the charge after he navigated the team through its first-ever College Football Playoff run. Golding, with a rounded-out staff rife with former Ole Miss players and Mississippi natives, will have the backing of a star-studded returning cast featuring quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, running back Kewan Lacy, and linebacker Suntarine Perkins, among others.
Mississippi State is going into year three of the Jeff Lebby era. Lebby took the team from two wins in his first season to five wins and a Duke’s Mayo Bowl appearance in his second campaign. Rising sophomore Kamario Taylor is being handed the ball at quarterback with the team’s second-leading receiver in 2025, Anthony Evans III, returning. Other returners of note include running back Fluff Bothwell, safety Isaac Smith, and defensive back Kelley Jones.
The full slate of 2026 kickoff times and TV information will be announced at a later date.
