The SEC’s marquee matchup this weekend has Brian Kelly leaning toward the home underdog.
No. 2 Georgia heads to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to face No.
10 Ole Miss in a game that carries real weight for both teams’ SEC standing and College Football Playoff hopes. It’s the fifth time the Bulldogs and Rebels have met over the past four seasons, and this one comes with plenty of recent history attached.
Kelly, who knows both programs well from his time at Notre Dame and LSU, weighed in on CBS Sports HQ on Wednesday afternoon and came down on the Rebels.
“They (Ole Miss) believe they can beat Georgia,” Kelly said. “They beat them before, 2 out of 3, I just think that there is that belief.
They’re at home, you talked about running (Trinidad) Chambliss, I think they’ll run him more, he’s going to be big part of this offense, not just throwing the ball. I like them to win this game.”
That confidence isn’t coming out of nowhere. Ole Miss has had the better of Georgia in recent meetings, and Kirby Smart’s 0-2 record in Oxford adds another layer to the matchup. With Chambliss expected to be a central part of the Rebels’ offense, Kelly sees enough in the setup to back Ole Miss in what could be the biggest game of the year for both teams.
The Bulldogs, though, have a chance to flip the script against the team that knocked them out of the College Football Playoff in the Sugar Bowl last January.
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For LSU, the concern is obvious. Baker is the highest-paid assistant coach in college football, and he has already shown a willingness to stay put when other jobs came calling, turning down offers from Tulane and Memphis to remain in Baton Rouge. Still, a vacancy like Florida States can change the conversation quickly, and Baker is among a crowded field that also includes Manny Diaz, Eli Drinkwitz, Jake Dickert, Kenny Dillingham, Jason Eck, Glenn Schumann, Rhett Lashlee and Jimbo Fisher. [Read more 🡒]
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Around him, the report still carried plenty of uncertainty, with several players from both teams listed out, doubtful or questionable. For LSU, Weeks remains the name to watch because of what his presence would mean in a rivalry game where every defensive snap matters, and the final answer on his status is still one of the bigger storylines left hanging before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]