No. 6 Ole Miss hosts No. 11 Tulane in one of two rematch games in the first round of the 2025 College Football Playoff.
This is the first game following Lane Kiffin’s departure from the Rebels program, as former defensive coordinator Pete Golding makes his head coaching debut for Ole Miss.
The Green Wave punched its first ticket to the CFP with a win over North Texas in the American Conference Championship game on Dec. 5.
Tulane vs. Ole Miss odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 6 Ole Miss | -1000 | -17 (-110) | o57.5 (-115) |
| No. 11 Tulane | +625 | +17 (-110) | u57.5 (-105) |
Tulane vs. Ole Miss prediction, best bet
The Rebels finished the season 11-1, including a 7-1 mark in SEC play, with their only loss at No. 3 Georgia.
But after six seasons in Oxford, head coach Lane Kiffin abruptly left the program for the head coach opening at LSU in early December.
Trinidad Chambliss finished eighth in the 2025 Heisman Trophy Voting. Once he assumed quarterback duties for an injured Austin Simmons, he never looked back, tying together a statistically strong season.
Although rumors of Chambliss joining Kiffin at LSU are growing louder, and his future with the team may be in doubt, he has big-game experience, having won a national title at Ferris State in Division II.
His ability to ad-lib and make splash plays with his legs was an issue that Tulane’s defense could not solve in the first meeting.
Chambliss ran all over the Green Wave, exploding for a season-high 112 yards on the ground at an eight-yard-per-carry rate in a 45-10 win on Sept. 20.
Kewan Lacy joins him out of the backfield. The Missouri transfer is an electric tailback who ran for 1,279 yards and scored 20 touchdowns.
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Deuce Alexander and Dae’Quan Wright each averaged over 17 yards per reception as pass-catchers and each burned Tulane’s secondary in the first matchup for a score.
Ole Miss averages 498.1 yards of total offense per game, second-most in the nation, and it should show despite Kiffin not roaming the sidelines at Vaught–Hemingway Stadium on Saturday.
Tulane did outlast an excellent North Texas team to get here, and the Green Wave has won five straight.
Their head coach, Jon Sumrall, like Kiffin, accepted an opening at Florida for next season, but unlike the ex-Ole Miss coach he will still coach the AAC champions in this one.
The opening games of the 2025 College Football Playoff:
Round 1
- No. 9 Alabama 34, No. 8 Oklahoma 24 (Dec. 19)
- No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M on Dec. 20 at 12 p.m. ET
- No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss on Dec. 20 at 3:30 p.m. ET
- No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon on Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Quarterfinals
- No. 10 Miami/No. 7 Texas A&M vs No. 2 Ohio State at Dec. 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- No. 12 James Madison/No. 5 Oregon vs No. 4 Texas Tech on Jan. 1 at 12 p.m. ET
- No. 9 Alabama vs No. 1 Indiana on Jan. 1 at 4 p.m. ET
- No. 11 Tulane/No. 6 Ole Miss vs No. 3 Georgia on Jan. 1 at 8 p.m. ET
The Green Wave also feature a defensive unit ranked in the top 30 against the run, better than Ole Miss, Alabama and Texas A&M. Tulane allows only 120.4 rushing yards per game this season.
Jake Retzlaff struggled opposite an Ole Miss defense, going 5-of-17 for only 56 passing yards before being benched in the first meeting
By halftime, the Green Wave had three punts and one field goal to show for, already trailing, 23-3.
The pass rush of Zxavian Harris and Princewill Umanmielen, among others, on the Rebels’ defensive line will overwhelm Tulane’s offensive line once again.
Chambliss will repeat the masterclass stat line he produced against the Green Wave back in September, leading the Rebels to a multi-touchdown lead early.
Obviously, there is more tape to dissect on the Rebels’ offense. Still, I expect their potent rushing attack to mirror its Week 4 performance of 251 yards and sink Tulane’s opportunity at an upset.
The Plays: Ole Miss 1H Spread -9.5 (-120, BetMGM) | Ole Miss team total rushing yards 180+ (+125, DraftKings)
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