No. 10 Ole Miss is back at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium with a massive opportunity in front of it, and No.
2 Georgia is bringing the kind of pressure that can expose every weakness. After a 45-15 win over Auburn, the Rebels get their biggest test of the season in a game with major playoff implications.
Ole Miss has protected its home field well, winning 16 straight at Vaught-Hemingway, but that streak will be under real strain against Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs. With two losses already, the Rebels can’t afford another slip as they move deeper into a defining run of SEC games.
The challenge starts with Georgia’s ground game. The Bulldogs are averaging more than 200 rushing yards per game, which puts Pete Golding’s defense in a difficult spot from the jump.
Ole Miss will need to slow the run, keep explosive plays in check and make Gunner Stockton win with his arm. If the Rebels can force mistakes, they have a path to staying in it.
Trinidad Chambliss is a central figure in that equation. His performance last season helped Ole Miss beat Georgia in January’s Sugar Bowl, and the Rebels will need him to deliver again.
But this one won’t be decided by offense alone. Ole Miss needs a complete showing to have a chance.
There’s also plenty hanging over the bigger picture. With 10 teams still mathematically alive in the SEC title race, Saturday carries both conference and playoff weight.
For Ole Miss, it’s a chance to build on last week’s bounce-back win and turn it into something more meaningful. The Rebels know what’s at stake, and they’re walking into a fight.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Faces Huge Georgia Test With One Big Complication
Saturday night in Oxford already had the feel of a measuring-stick moment, and ESPNs Kirk Herbstreit only sharpened the focus by naming Georgia at Ole Miss as the Week 10 college football game to watch. The matchup brings together a No. 2 Bulldogs team and a No. 10 Rebels squad that has been tough to beat at home, riding a 16-game winning streak inside its own stadium.
The timing, though, comes with a major wrinkle for Ole Miss. The Rebels are set to take the field at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC without All-America running back Kewan Lacy because of injury, leaving a huge hole in a game that already demanded near-perfect execution. Against a Georgia defense and a playoff-level opponent, how Ole Miss adjusts in the backfield may end up being every bit as important as the atmosphere in the stadium. [Read more 🡒]
College GameDay Just Handed Kentucky Fans A Tennessee Debate
Week 10s College GameDay chatter has already spilled into the kind of conversation SEC fans love to have, with several commentators and the guest picker weighing in on a full slate that includes Ohio State, Minnesota, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, LSU, Utah and Notre Dame. The picks come with the usual mix of logic and gut feel, from defense and home-field edge to the impact of missing players, giving the segment the familiar feel of a Saturday morning debate rather than anything close to a settled forecast.
For Kentucky fans, though, the Tennessee pick is the one that tends to linger, because any national discussion involving the Vols has a way of circling back to the SEC race and the ripple effects around the league. The predictions are only opinions, of course, but they still add another layer to a weekend already loaded with pressure points, and they leave just enough room for fans to argue over which side of the Tennessee discussion deserves the benefit of the doubt. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Has Ole Miss Fans Watching Alabama For One Reason
Alabamas trip to Baton Rouge has Ole Miss fans paying close attention, and not just because the Crimson Tide are sitting No. 5 in the College Football Playoff rankings. The matchup with No. 14 LSU carries the usual weight of a longstanding rivalry, but it also has a direct bearing on the playoff picture, which is enough to make this one matter well beyond the usual SEC weekend.
For Lane Kiffin, the game adds another layer. In his first year at LSU, he is trying to get his first win against Alabama as a head coach, and the Tigers enter with the same record as the Tide. For Ole Miss fans, the interest is obvious: any result in this one could ripple through the conference race and the playoff chase, and Kiffins latest shot at Alabama is part of the reason the whole league will be watching. [Read more 🡒]