The Ole Miss Rebels didn’t just survive their first College Football Playoff appearance - they made a statement. With a dominant 41-10 win over Tulane on Saturday night, the No. 6 seed Rebels punched their ticket to the Sugar Bowl, where a high-stakes rematch with SEC champion Georgia now awaits.
In front of a record-setting crowd at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Ole Miss looked every bit like a team ready to contend for a national title. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss put together one of his most efficient performances of the season, completing 23 of 29 passes for 282 yards and a touchdown. He didn’t stop there - Chambliss also added two rushing scores on just six carries, showing the kind of dual-threat ability that can change the complexion of a playoff game.
The Rebels’ offense was humming all night, piling up 497 total yards against a Tulane defense that had been one of the American Athletic Conference’s best all season. Ole Miss kept the pressure on with a balanced attack, while the defense came up big in the turnover department. Tulane coughed up the ball three times, and Ole Miss turned those mistakes into 14 points - the kind of opportunistic play that separates good teams from great ones in December.
Tulane, the No. 11 seed and American Conference champion, didn’t roll over. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff threw for 306 of the Green Wave’s 421 total yards, showing flashes of the explosive offense that got them here. But the turnovers proved too costly, and Ole Miss capitalized like a team with bigger goals in mind.
Now comes the real test: a New Year’s Day showdown in New Orleans against Georgia - a team that already edged Ole Miss earlier this season in a 43-35 thriller in Athens. That October 18 matchup was one for the books, with Georgia storming back with 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns that night, including a pair of clutch drives late that sealed the comeback.
Georgia, the No. 3 seed in the CFP, earned their spot by knocking off Alabama 28-7 in the SEC Championship Game. They’ve looked every bit like a title contender down the stretch, which makes this Sugar Bowl rematch even more intriguing.
There’s also no shortage of off-field drama heading into this one. Former Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin - the architect of much of this Rebels roster - left Oxford on November 30 to take over at LSU.
That move added another layer of intrigue to an already compelling postseason run. Now, Ole Miss returns to the Superdome - a place just down the road from Kiffin’s new home - with a shot at redemption and a place in the national title game on the line.
With their offense firing on all cylinders and a defense that knows how to capitalize on mistakes, the Rebels look ready for the moment. But Georgia has been here before - and they’ve shown they know how to finish.
Circle January 1 on the calendar. Ole Miss vs. Georgia in the Sugar Bowl isn’t just a rematch - it’s a clash of two teams with unfinished business and everything to play for.