Ole Miss has been one of the top teams in the country throughout the 2026 college football season.

The Rebels are ranked No. 7 thanks to a 5-1 record, with their only loss coming at the hands of the No. 20 Florida Gators. They are fresh off a dominant 31-3 win over the then-13th-ranked Missouri Tigers and face another tough test this Saturday when they travel to play the No. 19 Texas Longhorns.

MORE: Calls mounting for Arch Manning to transfer from Texas

A victory would go a long way toward Ole Miss making the College Football Playoff, especially since the school already has two wins over ranked opponents this year.

College GameDay host Rece Davis is a big believer in the Rebels and thinks they’re the second-best team in the SEC heading into this game.

“I think you still look at Ole Miss as a contender, and based on the way things are unfolding in the SEC, I think you can make a pretty good argument that they’re probably the second-best team in the SEC behind Georgia at the moment,” Davis said on The Pat McAfee Show. “But in order to be that and maintain that, they’ll need to play well on Saturday night.”

"[Ole Miss] is probably the 2nd best team in the SEC behind Georgia."@ReceDavis breaks down Ole Miss' performance and what the team needs to do against Texas ✍️
(via @PatMcAfeeShow) pic.twitter.com/fM3fVYZWgv

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) October 21, 2026

Saturday’s game in Austin

The Rebels will play a desperate Longhorns team that has lost two in a row, falling to the Oklahoma Sooners on Oct. 10 and then the Gators last Saturday.

Saturday’s game between Ole Miss and Texas kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter —

Source: Yahoo Sports