The No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels have bounced back beautifully after a rough 52-28 loss to the Florida Gators in Week 4. The Rebels have now won two straight and recently defeated the No. 13 Missouri Tigers 31-3.
Now, the Rebels must travel to Austin to face a rather desperate Texas team, and they must be ready.
Texas Has Its Back Against the Wall
A 9-3 Texas Longhorns team didn't make the College Football Playoff in 2025, and probably won't in 2026 either. And unfortunately (for them), Texas has already lost its margin for error.
The Longhorns seemed to be on top of college football with a 24-23 comeback win over the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes. But Texas has now lost two in a row. The Longhorns lost to the Oklahoma Sooners 27-24 in a stunning upset in Week 6.
Then the Longhorns got upset again, as the Gators came to Austin and won 27-24. The Longhorns are now ranked No. 19 and may need to win their final six games to have a real shot at the CFP.
The Longhorns are down and are in a terrible position. But that also means that their backs are against the wall. Quarterback Arch Manning and the Longhorns' talent know they can't take another loss. Texas must play its best brand of football against the Rebels.
And interestingly, the Rebels might be the Longhorns' best opponent for the rest of the season. That also means that this game is an opportunity to get back into the Top 15, at least, and revive their playoff hopes.
Unfortunately, the Rebels have already fallen victim on the road this season, so they must avoid repeating that.
Can the Rebels Survive the Trap?
Entering the season, the Longhorns felt like their roster was a dream. They got a 1-2 punch from the transfer portal with running backs Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers.
The Longhorns added No. 1 wide receiver Cam Coleman in the portal to go along with speedy Ryan Wingo and talented Emmett Mosley. V. Arch Manning was supposed to have his Heisman-caliber season, while the defense, with guys like defensive end Collin Simmons and transfer linebacker Rasheem Biles, was supposed to be very good.
The problem has been that this team's talented players, like Brown, Smothers, and Manning, have underperformed. The offense hasn't been close to its potential in terms of explosiveness.
Unfortunately for the Rebels, though, all of this talent may show itself sooner rather than later. Everyone knows this team has played at a level that isn't close to what this team is capable of and that is a recipe for disaster for opponents.
Against a team like the Rebels, with their backs against the wall, the Longhorns may be able to spring a trap and take them down. Ole Miss still has some big opponents ahead, so losing a game like this wouldn't help its playoff chances.
The good news is that superstar running back Kewan Lacy will play against Texas. Without Lacy against Florida, the Rebels' running game wasn't nearly as good as Golding wanted. Plus, the defense held the Tigers to just three points, which may point to a lower-scoring affair than some might expect on Saturday.
But overall, this Rebels team has to be ready for a desperate team. Sometimes we assume a team like Texas will fall apart under fierce competition after two straight losses. But often, that's not the case. Ole Miss must not overlook Texas - a potentially deadly threat.
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