Ole Miss is still considered a longshot to win the 2026 College Football Playoff, but the Rebels’ chances in the eyes of oddsmakers definitely increased with a judge ruling that quarterback Trinidad Chambliss can play next season.

The Rebels were a +4000 longshot at BetMGM to win next season’s CFP before a judge in Pittsboro, Miss. ruled on Thursday that Chambliss merits one more year of college football eligibility. Following the ruling, Ole Miss’ title odds shortened to +3500 at BetMGM and DraftKings, while FanDuel trimmed the Rebels to +3000.

The Rebels also led all teams with 48% of the total bets and 90% of all money wagered on next season’s national champion backing Ole Miss at BetMGM since the ruling. That included one $5,000 bet at the book backing the Rebels at +3500.

Ole Miss still has only the 14th-shortest title odds at the book with the Rebels behind SEC rivals Texas (+700), Georgia (+900), LSU (+1200), Alabama (+1500), Texas A&M (+1500) and Oklahoma (+3000).

With the potential of the NCAA appealing Thursday’s ruling, Chambliss has not yet been added to the 2025 Heisman Trophy market by any of the three books.

JUDGE: NCAA SHOWED ‘BAD FAITH’

Chambliss, who finished eighth in the 2025 Heisman Trophy race while leading the Rebels to the College Football Playoff semifinals, initially had his appeal to play in 2026 denied by the NCAA on Jan. 9.

That led Chambliss’ lawyers to file for the injunction granted Thursday by Judge Robert Whitwell in Lafayette County Chancery Court. The University of Mississippi is located in Oxford, the county seat for Lafayette.

Whitwell spoke for more than an hour before declaring Chambliss would receive the injunction. He declared the NCAA showed “bad faith” when denying Chambliss’ appeal by ignoring evidence brought forth by Ferris State doctors.

Chambliss spent his first four college years at Ferris State. He redshirted as a freshman in 2021, appeared in just two games due to illness in 2022 (triggering the belief he merited a medical redshirt) and threw just 33 passes as a backup in 2023 before directing Ferris State to the Div. II national championship in 2024.

The Grand Rapids, Mich., native transferred to Ole Miss in 2025 and became the team’s quarterback in Week 3 after starter Austin Simmons suffered an injury. Chambliss wound up leading the Rebels to a 13-2 season that ended with a 31-27 Fiesta Bowl loss to Miami on Jan. 8.

Chambliss completed 66.1% of his passes for 3,937 yards, 22 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He also rushed for 527 yards and eight scores.

He signed a lucrative NIL deal to return to Ole Miss, but that was placed in jeopardy when his waiver appeal was denied.

The NCAA can appeal Thursday’s decision, so Chambliss isn’t guaranteed to be in uniform when Ole Miss opens the 2026 season against Louisville on either Sept. 5 or 6 in Nashville.

The NCAA issued a statement shortly after the injunction was granted:

“This decision in a state court illustrates the impossible situation created by differing court decisions that serve to undermine rules agreed to by the same NCAA members who later challenge them in court. We will continue to defend the NCAA’s eligibility rules against repeated attempts to rob future generations of the opportunity to compete in college and experience the life-changing opportunities only college sports can create. The NCAA and its member schools are making changes to deliver more benefits to student-athletes, but the patchwork of state laws and inconsistent, conflicting court decisions make partnering with Congress essential to provide stability for current and future college athletes.”

–Field Level Media

Wake Forest has finally regained a bit of confidence and now the Demon Deacons will see how far that carries them.

Stanford will arrive as the opponent for Saturday’s game at Winston-Salem, N.C., after Wake Forest snapped a five-game losing streak last time out versus Georgia Tech on Wednesday.

“We were down a little bit throughout the season and we picked it back up,” Wake Forest guard Juke Harris said. “You see how great we can be.”

Wake Forest (12-12, 3-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) has work to do, especially in home games. The Demon Deacons lost their last four at home.

Stanford (16-9, 5-7) began its two-game trip by winning 70-64 at Boston College on Wednesday, giving the Cardinal a multi-game winning streak for the first time in more than a month. They beat Georgia Tech to end a five-game skid last Saturday.

Travel to the East Coast has become less stressful for the Cardinal.

“Last year, it felt like we were astronauts doing something no one’s done before,” Stanford coach Kyle Smith said of the team’s first go-around in the ACC. “Now it’s like, you know what, we’ve got our little routine.”

Another boost from guard Mekhi Mason could do wonders for Wake Forest. He racked up 17 points in the Georgia Tech game for his first double-figure output since prior to Thanksgiving. Mason made four 3-pointers to match his season high.

“He was a starter earlier in the year and he’s struggled a little bit, but he’s had great resilience and he’s been a great teammate,” coach Steve Forbes said. “Good things happen to good people.”

Harris has consistently been Wake Forest’s leading scorer, including in seven of the team’s last nine games. He eclipsed the 20-point mark in the past three games, pushing his scoring average to 21.2 points, which is the third-highest mark in the ACC.

Second on the scoring list is Stanford’s Ebuka Okorie at 22.4 points.

Harris averages 2.7 makes from 3-point range, barely ahead of Stanford’s Benny Gealer (2.5). Okorie accounts for 1.9 made threes per game.

The key for the Cardinal might be excelling in open-court situations.

“It was hard enough in the halfcourt,” Smith said after the Boston College game. “Anyone is a lot better in a broken field. … The transition probably gave us the best chance.”

–Field Level Media

An NFL memo sent Friday morning informed all teams that the players association no longer can publish its annual report cards, which rank the franchises on everything from the locker room to the owner to the treatment of families.

That is the result of a grievance filed by the league against the NFL Players Association, according to the memo.

“We are pleased to report that the NFL prevailed in the grievance filed against the NFL Players Association, challenging its practice of creating and publicizing annual ‘Team Report Cards’,” the memo said. “The arbitrator held that the publication of Report Cards disparaging NFL clubs and individuals violates the Collective Bargaining Agreement and issued an Order prohibiting the NFLPA from publishing or publicly disclosing the results of future player Report Cards.”

The 2025 report was the third produced by the NFLPA. The NFLPA made it clear in a statement that it still plans to collect the report cards even if the results can no longer be made public.

“The ruling upholds our right to survey players and share the results with players and clubs,” the NFLPA statement said. “While we strongly disagree with the restriction on making those results public, that limitation does not stop the program or its impact. Players will continue to receive the results, and teams will continue to hear directly from their locker rooms.

“Importantly, the arbitrator rejected the NFL’s characterization of the process, finding the Team Report Cards to be fair, balanced, and increasingly positive over time. Our methodology is sound. The Team Report Cards exist to serve players. That mission remains unchanged. We will continue working to ensure players’ experiences are heard, respected, and acted on – by their teams, by their union, and wherever else possible.”

The survey was designed to improve overall working conditions for the players but also to give them the information they need when considering factors to help them make career decisions, such as free agency.

Teams were given letter grades in 11 categories that concerned ownership, coaching, strength and conditioning programs, as well as areas such as travel, locker room facilities, nutrition and treatment of player families.

Last year, the Miami Dolphins ranked first overall out of the 32 teams, with No. 1 votes in seven of the categories. Owner Stephen Ross was the highest-graded owner. He received an A-plus rating, as did head coach Mike McDaniel, who was fired after the conclusion of the season.

Coming in at No. 2 were the Minnesota Vikings, who ranked first in treatment of families and locker room. Head coach Kevin O’Connell and the owners, the Wilf family, ranked third overall.

In last place were the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals were dinged, especially, for their facilities, but players also said the team needed an upgraded food and dining area. Coach Jonathan Gannon received an A grade from players — the only A on the Arizona report card — while ownership ranked No. 30 overall with a D-minus grade.

Gannon also was fired at the end of the season.

Coming in No. 31 were the New England Patriots. After the 2024 survey, owner Robert Kraft made improvements, such as investing $50 million in a new facility next to the stadium, currently under construction, and improving services for family members.

Still, Kraft –whose teams have won six Super Bowl games — ranked only No. 30 among team owners with a D.

The Patriots, under first-year head coach Mike Vrabel, won the AFC title in 2025 but lost to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX last weekend.

–Field Level Media