It’s on to Georgia prep for Mississippi football.
The sixth-seeded Rebels secured their spot in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals with a commanding 41-10 win over No.No. 11 Tulane on Saturday, Dec. 20 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in the first round of the CFP.
It’s the first win for Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff, and the first win for the Rebels in the Pete Golding era, as the former Ole Miss defensive coordinator was promoted to the program’s full-time head coach following Lane Kiffin’s departure to LSU.
Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who was evaluated for a concussion at halftime, completed 23 of 29 passes for 282 yards and a touchdown pass on the night. He also finished with two rushing scores: a 4-yard touchdown in the first quarter and an 8-yard touchdown in the fourth. The Rebels’ defense held the Green Wave offense to just 10 points while racking up two sacks and eight tackles for a loss.
Here’s a quick look at what you need to know about who the Rebels play next in the College Football Playoff:
Who does Ole Miss football play next in CFP?
With its first-round win, Ole Miss will now face three-seeded Georgia in the next round of the College Football Playoff. The Sugar Bowl matchup between the two SEC programs will be their second meeting this season, as Georgia defeated Ole Miss 43-35 on Saturday, Oct. 18 in Athens.
The Rebels led at halftime and at the start of the fourth quarter against the Bulldogs, but were unable to fight off Gunner Stockton and Georgia’s offense in the fourth. It is the lone loss of the season for Ole Miss.
Led by star linebacker CJ Allen, Georgia’s defense ranks 11th in the country in scoring at 15.9 points per game and the 12th-ranked total defense in the nation. The Bulldogs have held each of their last three opponents to less than 10 points.
The Bulldogs secured the top-four seed in the CFP bracket with their SEC Championship win over Alabama.
Georgia football: What to know on Bulldogs vs Ole Miss
Here’s what to know on the Bulldogs:
Stat leaders:
Leading passer: QB Gunner Stockton, 2,691 yards with 23 touchdowns and five interceptions
Leading rusher: RB Nate Frazier, 861 rushing yards with six rushing touchdowns
Leading receiver: WR Zachariah Branch, 744 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns on 73 receptions
Top defender: LB CJ Allen, 85 total tackles, four broken-up passes, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery
How they got here:
Schedule: 12-1 overall, 7-1 in SEC play
Big wins: at Tennessee, vs. Ole Miss, vs. Texas, vs. Georgia Tech, vs. Alabama (SEC Championship)
Playoff history:
Have they been here before? Yes, Georgia has quite the history in the College Football Playoff under Kirby Smart. The Bulldogs are making their fifth appearance in the CFP under Smart this season, and their third trip in the last four seasons. Georgia, which fell to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl last season as a top-four seed, is one of four programs to have won the College Football Playoff at least twice since its inception in 2014.
Georgia vs Ole Miss in CFP quarterfinals time, date, schedule
Date: Thursday, Jan. 1
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Where: Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
TV channel: ESPN
Streaming option: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)
Georgia and Ole Miss will meet in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday, January 1 at 8 p.m. ET inside the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. ESPN will broadcast the game with streaming options consisting of the ESPN app (with a TV login) and Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to new subscribers.