A New College Football Season Brings New Hopes, Old Rivalries & Plenty of Trash Talk

The college football season is just ahead, which means that talking about the season will continue unabated until after New Year's when a new national champion will be crowned.

I'll make this prediction: Indiana won't be it again after that fluky season of a year ago. The Hoosiers had never won more than a few games in any year, and all of a sudden they beat everybody because of their great quarterback. He's history and so are they.

There's a lot of trash being talked across the country. That's because in the preseason, all the teams are unbeaten and many believe they'll stay that way. There is a huge unease among teams of the Southeastern Conference because the Big Ten teams have been outdoing them of late. There's also unease because the U.S. Congress is now involved in college sports—that can't be good.

A large percentage of the cocky talk is being generated by University of Alabama fans doing what they do best when the Tide is not exactly rolling like in years past: talk.

When did Alabama last win a national championship? I really can't remember. Oh, there it is—the Tide won the Natty after the 2020 season, beating Ohio State in the championship game. My, my, 2020 seems so long ago when you're talking Alabama football.

Alabama fans somehow believe their team is going to win the championship after the 2026 regular season. I doubt that will happen.

Then, who will? I know you expect me to say: "Ole Miss." The Rebels open up in all the respected "Top 10" rankings.

The Rebels just might. Coulda, shoulda, pulled it off last year with some more luck. They were one tackle away from beating Miami and advancing to the national championship game.

Rebel quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and runningback Kewan Lacey are among the best five players in the SEC and if they excel as they did in 2025, Ole Miss could indeed contend for another national title (they won the uncontested 1960 crown).

Ole Miss has been embroiled in a controversy for a while now over Clemson's claim that Rebel coach Pete Golding tampered with a Clemson recruit who did eventually join the Rebels and could be a star player. Many see this as more whining by Clemson and that nothing will come of it.

Ole Miss doesn't need to be dealing with that issue as the 2026 season unwinds. That's particularly true because in former Rebel coach and now LSU coach Lane Kiffin, they have enough controversy for a lifetime. Kiffin bailed on the Rebels last year just as they were getting ready to win two playoff games, including an upset over mighty Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

It goes without saying that Ole Miss will need as many state patrolmen and those beloved federal troops as possible to control the crowd when LSU comes to Oxford on Sept. 19. Kiffin is public enemy number one in Mississippi. I hope he is treated with grace and courtesy by the Rebel faithful. A win would propel Ole Miss toward another trip to the college playoffs and destroy LSU's always-over optimistic fans.

Our fans are expecting better seasons out of Mississippi State and Southern Miss. They'll both need some luck to reach the bowl season.

College football starts in earnest two Saturdays from now on Sept. 5. My predicted SEC finish is: 1. Georgia. 2. Texas. 3. Ole Miss. 4. Oklahoma. 5. Texas A&M. 6. Tennessee. 7. LSU. 8. Florida. 9. Alabama. 10. Mississippi State. 11. Auburn. 12. Missouri. 13. South Carolina. 14. Vanderbilt. 15. Kentucky. 16. Arkansas.

---Mac Gordon is a native of McComb. He is a retired newspaperman. He can be reached at macmarygordon@gmail.com.