College football is almost here. The proof? Conferences across the country are beginning to roll out preseason rankings and individual accolades. The SEC unveiled its media poll on Friday, and both Ole Miss and Mississippi State were represented.
The Rebels, with a lot of hype surrounding Pete Golding’s first regular season as head coach, were picked to finish third in the SEC, behind Georgia and Texas, and had seven players earn all-conference honors. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, were given bulletin board material, as they were predicted to finish second to last in the SEC, while only having a pair of players crowned all-conference selections.
Ole Miss
Golding and his Rebels were the talk around town in Tampa during SEC Media Days, and justifiably so. The team is coming off of its first-ever College Football Playoff run and returns several key pieces who made that milestone possible.
Three Rebels are featured as first-team All-SEC honorees. And to nobody’s surprise, those players are star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, standout running back Kewan Lacy, and disruptive defensive tackle Will Echoles. It’s worth noting that the three first-teamers were the ones who accompanied Golding at SEC Media Days.
As for second-team selections, Ole Miss is represented by linebacker Suntarine Perkins and Lucas Carneiro, who was recognized as both a top placekicker and kickoff specialist. The Rebels’ third-team honorees are offensive lineman Patrick Kutas and defensive lineman Kam Franklin.
Preseason All-SEC 📈 pic.twitter.com/IV3ShDi5hC
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) July 24, 2026
Ole Miss will kick off the 2026-27 season versus Louisville in Nashville’s Nissan Stadium on Sept. 6.
Mississippi State
Jeff Lebby’s team will enter the upcoming campaign with a chip on its shoulder. Though the third-year Mississippi State frontman is confident that he built a strong enough roster to go toe-to-toe with any SEC counterpart, the league’s preseason media poll suggested otherwise, leaving room for Bulldog players to prove themselves this year. The two Bulldogs on the all-conference team are defensive back Kelley Jones and punter Ethan Pulliam. Jones is a second-team selection, while Pulliam is on the third team.
Preseason All-SEC 🗳️ pic.twitter.com/IzftUp0msC
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) July 24, 2026
Mississippi State will kick off the 2026-27 season versus Louisiana Monroe at home on Sept. 5.
The full preseason All-SEC poll can be found here.