College Football Playoff Preview: Ole Miss, Tulane Face Off Amid Coaching Shakeups and High Stakes
No team in this year’s College Football Playoff has had a more dramatic lead-up than Ole Miss. After a historic 11-1 regular season, the Rebels are stepping into the CFP spotlight-but not without a major shakeup.
Lane Kiffin is out, having taken the LSU job, and defensive coordinator Pete Golding has been promoted to head coach. The decision to move on from Kiffin before the postseason sparked plenty of conversation, especially considering he expressed interest in coaching Ole Miss through the playoff.
But the administration made its call, and now the Golding era begins-right in the thick of the most important stretch of the season.
And Ole Miss isn’t the only team navigating change at the top. Tulane is also dealing with a coaching transition, as Jon Sumrall is headed to Florida.
The difference? Sumrall will stay on to coach the Green Wave through the postseason.
Tulane, like Ole Miss, is in the middle of a season for the ages, making its first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff.
These two teams already saw each other earlier this year in Oxford-and it wasn’t close. Ole Miss rolled to a 45-10 win over Tulane in that matchup.
Now, with a CFP quarterfinal berth on the line and a date with No. 3 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl awaiting the winner, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Let’s dig into three key storylines that could shape this first-round showdown between No. 6 Ole Miss and No. 11 Tulane.
1. Kewan Lacy: The Quiet Star with a Nose for the End Zone
You might not hear his name in every Heisman conversation, but Kewan Lacy has been nothing short of elite this season. The sophomore running back has quietly put together one of the most productive campaigns in the country, racking up 20 rushing touchdowns-second only to North Texas’ Caleb Hawkins (23). That’s two more than Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love, a Heisman finalist.
Lacy has found the end zone in all but one game this season, and he’s hit paydirt multiple times in six different contests. His signature performance came against Florida on November 15, when he exploded for 224 rushing yards and three touchdowns-his third three-score game of the year.
He’s not just a volume back; Lacy’s got breakaway speed, vision, and the kind of balance that makes defenders miss in space. Tulane’s defense will have its hands full trying to contain him. If the Green Wave can’t slow him down, it’s going to be a long afternoon in Oxford.
2. Jake Retzlaff Must Air It Out
Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff is a dual-threat weapon-emphasis on the “threat” part. The junior transfer from BYU has more rushing touchdowns (16) than passing (14) this season, and he’s been a key reason why the Green Wave are in the CFP. His two rushing touchdowns in the AAC title game against North Texas helped seal Tulane’s spot in the playoff.
But if Tulane wants to flip the script from that early-season blowout loss, Retzlaff will need to do more damage through the air. In the first meeting with Ole Miss, he struggled mightily-completing just 5 of 17 passes for 56 yards. While he added 51 yards on the ground, it wasn’t nearly enough to keep pace.
Meanwhile, Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss had a field day in that game, throwing for 307 yards and rushing for another 112. He tossed two touchdowns, and Lacy added two more on the ground. Tulane simply couldn’t keep up.
Retzlaff doesn’t need to be perfect, but he does need to be more efficient. Ole Miss has the kind of offense that can score in bunches, and if Tulane can’t stretch the field and keep the Rebels honest, it’s going to be tough to mount a serious threat.
3. Ole Miss Looks to Turn the Page-and Make a Statement
With Lane Kiffin gone, the Rebels are now fully Pete Golding’s team. And if the early signs are any indication, the players are ready to rally behind their new head coach.
After the team meeting announcing Golding’s promotion, reports surfaced of players leaving fired up and ready to go. That’s exactly the kind of energy Ole Miss will need to carry into this game.
There’s no sugarcoating it-Kiffin’s departure was messy. But sometimes, that kind of adversity can galvanize a team.
The Rebels have a chance to show the college football world that their season wasn’t just about one coach. They’ve got the talent, the motivation, and now, a fresh voice leading the charge.
Tulane, for its part, is also playing with pride. Sumrall is sticking around to coach through the postseason, and the Green Wave are eager to prove they belong on this stage. But the environment in Oxford will be electric, and Ole Miss will be looking to feed off that energy and make a statement: the Kiffin era might be over, but the Rebels are far from done.
This matchup is more than just a playoff opener-it’s a test of resilience, identity, and execution under pressure. Ole Miss has been through the wringer off the field, but on the field, they’ve got the pieces to keep this dream season alive. Tulane, meanwhile, is chasing history and redemption all at once.
One team will punch its ticket to the Sugar Bowl and a shot at the SEC champion. The other will see a magical season come to an end. Buckle up-this one’s got all the makings of a classic.