Ole Miss will host its first-ever College Football Playoff game as the 11-1 Rebels take on American Athletic Conference champion Tulane at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
The matchup marks a historic moment for Ole Miss under new head coach Pete Golding, who took over after Lane Kiffin left for LSU.
Both No. 6 Ole Miss and No. 11 Tulane enter the playoff with new coaching situations. Tulane has allowed Jon Sumrall to coach through the postseason before he takes the Florida job. Kiffin will be watching from Baton Rouge.
The winner faces a daunting challenge.
No. 3 Georgia awaits in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal on New Year’s Day. The Bulldogs finished 12-1 and captured their fourth SEC championship under Kirby Smart with a dominant 28-7 victory over Alabama.
Smart owns a 117-20 career record and has built Georgia into college football’s premier program.
College Football Playoff bracket 2025
Who does Tulane or Ole Miss play next?
The winner will face No. 3 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day in the second round of the playoffs.
Georgia has established itself as college football’s most successful program over the past five seasons. The Bulldogs won back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022, ending a 42-year title drought.
Their sustained dominance shows in the numbers. Georgia compiled an FBS-best 64-6 record since the start of the 2021 season.
The Bulldogs have captured three of the last four SEC Championships, winning in 2022, 2024, and 2025. Alabama handed them their only loss this season in September, but Georgia dominated all three phases in their conference title game revenge.
This year’s Georgia roster matches up with any team in the country. Gunner Stockton directs an offense featuring Zachariah Branch, Dillon Bell, Nate Frazier, Chauncey Bowens, and Oscar Delp.
The defense struggled early with pass rush issues but has allowed 10 points or fewer in four straight games.
Georgia already defeated Ole Miss this season, winning 43-35 in Athens. The Bulldogs rallied with 17 fourth-quarter points to hand the Rebels their only loss.
That comeback epitomized Georgia’s trademark finishing ability under Smart.
An unmatched run of success has established Georgia as college football’s standard. Two national championships, three SEC titles in four years, and nearly three calendar years without a regular-season loss cement their status as the sport’s premier program.
The newly expanded College Football Playoff gives teams like Ole Miss and Tulane their shot at college football’s closest thing to a dynasty.
Whoever emerges from Saturday’s contest in Oxford will face that test on New Year’s Day in New Orleans.
