LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - OCTOBER 03: Matt Corral #2 of the Ole Miss Rebels celebrates after a touchdown in overtime in the 42-41 OT win over the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium on October 03, 2020 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)Week 1 of the college football season has delivered on all fronts thus far, but it isn’t over just yet. The final game of the opening week will take place tonight when Ole Miss takes on Louisville at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The Rebels come into the match-up as a nine-point favorite, which is impressive given the neutral location of the game.
The Cardinals may be able to put up a fight, but early indications point to Ole Miss walking away with a win in its season opener.
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Rebels have a 70.1 % chance to start the season 1-0 with a victory over Louisville Monday. The Cardinals earned just a 29.9 % opportunity to get the win.
Headed into their second-year under Lane Kiffin, the Rebels are eager to build off of their offensive explosion in 2020. Ole Miss scored over 40 points in five of 1o games and scraped its way to a 5-5 record, despite a struggling defense. The highlight of the year for the Rebels came in a 26-20 win over No. 11 Indiana in the Outback Bowl.
Matt Corral, who led the FBS in total offense with 384.9 yards per game last year, will be back under center for Ole Miss. Even with Kiffin missing the game due to COVID-19, his explosive system should be on full display Monday night.
Louisville’s defense ranked 39th in the country last season, but will need to be up to the task against Ole Miss. The Cardinals will likely try to match fire with fire by relying heavily on quarterback Malik Cunningham, who could give the Rebels trouble with his ability to run. Louisville will have to put up points to stay in the game and have a chance to win.
Monday’s match-up between Ole Miss and Louisville kicks off at 8 p.m. ET. The game will air on ESPN.
