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Ranking every game on Southern Miss football's 2026 schedule from easiest to hardest Blake Anderson will have his hands full in his first season as the coach of Southern Miss football.
The Golden Eagles lost 38 players to the transfer portal and is returning one starter: Offensive lineman Broderick Roman.
BetMGM lists Southern Miss' win total at 4.5 games.
Here is how each game on the Golden Eagles' schedule ranks, from easiest to hardest.
Sept.
5 vs.
Alcorn State The Braves finished the 2025 season with momentum, winning five of their final seven games, but the Golden Eagles will be the more talented team and should have enough to begin Anderson's tenure with a win (4 p.m.
CT, ESPN+).
Oct.
31 at Louisiana Monroe Louisiana Monroe lost its leading rusher and four of its five starters on the offensive line.
Southern Miss beat ULM 49-21 at home in 2025 and it should be able to manage a similar result in 2026.
Sept.
19 vs.
UConn Southern Miss enters this game coming off a road game against Auburn and might be in need of a bounce-back win, but UConn will be a test.
After winning a combined 10 games from 2021 to 2023, the Huskies have won nine games in each of the past two seasons.
Both teams underwent a coaching change and significant roster turnover, which makes the matchup a difficult one to predict.
The Golden Eagles being the home team likely gives them an edge (6 p.m.
CT, ESPN+).
Nov.
21 vs.
South Alabama Southern Miss plays South Alabama in its penultimate game of the season.
Depending on how the previous games went, winning this game could be a crucial one in clinching a bowl berth.
The Jaguars lost a lot of talent in the transfer portal across the board, but quarterback Bishop Davenport returns for his second season as the team's starter.
Oct.
17 vs.
Arkansas State Arkansas State won seven games and a bowl last season, but it lost prolific quarterback Jaylen Raynor to Iowa State in the portal.
Despite his departure, the Red Wolves have the returning talent to put together another competitive season.
There is a four-man quarterback competition underway at Arkansas State.
It's hard to know how the Red Wolves will look next season without having seen what their quarterback play looks like, but this will be a challenge for Southern Miss no matter who is taking the snaps behind center.
Nov.
14 at Louisiana Tech Louisiana Tech returning tight end Eli Finley caught six passes for 154 yards in a 30-20 win over Southern Miss last season.
Quarterback Blake Baker, who threw for 238 yards in that game, is also back.
New Southern Miss defensive coordinator Joe Bolden will have to find a way to limit that pair.
Oct.
24 vs.
Louisiana The Ragin' Cajuns retained seven starters on the offensive side of the ball, four of whom are offensive linemen.
Starting dual-threat quarterback Lunch Winfield, who took over as Louisiana's starter midway through last season, will have the pieces to pilot a dangerous offense.
Louisiana will bring experience and continuity into this matchup while Southern Miss will bring the opposite, but the Golden Eagles have won 12 of the past 13 matchups dating to 1994, so the series momentum is on their side.
Nov.
28 at Old Dominion Southern Miss closes out its regular-season schedule with a challenging road game against an Old Dominion team that won 10 games a season ago.
The Monarchs are bringing back five starters on a defense that was one of the Sun Belt's most dominant in 2025.
Old Dominion has as much momentum as any team in the conference, and if the new pieces on offense can adjust well, it will be a difficult task for the Golden Eagles.
Sept.
26 at Tulane Southern Miss will face its former head coach, Will Hall, in his first season leading the Green Wave early on in the regular season.
Any time a team undergoes a coaching change, a roster can suffer; just ask the Golden Eagles.
But Tulane is consistently one of the best Group of Six programs in the country and will be competitive again this season.
This year's Battle for the Bell will be a tough one for Southern Miss.
Oct.
6 at Troy The Golden Eagles open conference play at Troy.
The Trojans have a sixth-year quarterback in Will "Goose" Crowder and if he can stay healthy, their offense will be difficult to defend.
Coach Gerad Parker had his best season (eight wins) since he started in 2024.
A win in this game would give Southern Miss plenty of momentum heading into the rest of its Sun Belt schedule, though it won't be an easy task (7 p.m.
CT, ESPN2).
Nov.
5 vs.
James Madison Former Florida coach Billy Napier went to James Madison looking to continue on the program's success.
Since joining the FBS ranks in 2022, the Dukes have won 40 games and made the College Football Playoff once.
If Napier can bounce back from his stint with the Gators, James Madison will continue on its upwards trajectory and will be hard for Southern Miss to beat (7 p.m.
CT, ESPN or ESPN2).
Sept.
12 at Auburn Not much needs to be said about this matchup.
Auburn finished 5-7 overall and 1-7 in the SEC last season, but it is by far the most talented team the Golden Eagles will see this season.
This being a road game makes it that much more difficult (6:30 p.m.
or 6:45 p.m.
CT, ESPNU or SEC Network).
Davis Wilson covers Southern Miss athletics and Hattiesburg news for the Hattiesburg American.
Email him at [email protected] or find him on X at @Davis_Wilson.