The first round of the College Football Playoff presents two rematches of regular-season games, and the second of those contests comes Saturday afternoon when No. 6-seed Ole Miss hosts No. 11-seed Tulane for the second time in three months. The Rebels left no doubt in the September matchup with a 45-10 blowout victory, and considering their head-to-head result and the fact that lopsided games are not entirely uncommon in the CFP, a repeat outcome is well within the realm of possibility.
Changes to both coaching staffs throw uncertainty into the equation, though. Lane Kiffin will not be on the sideline for Ole Miss this time around after he took the LSU job, but Jon Sumrall will continue to lead Tulane even after accepting the Florida position. How both teams adapt to the moving parts on their sidelines could play a role in determining the margin or the outright result in this opening-round showdown.
This game marks both teams’ CFP debuts, so the winning side will earn its first playoff victory. The squad that comes out on top will meet No. 3 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Notably, Ole Miss’ only loss on the year came in a 43-35 defeat at the hands of the Bulldogs.
Where to watch Ole Miss vs. Tulane live
Date: Saturday, Dec. 20 | Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium — Oxford, Mississippi
TV: TNT | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Ole Miss vs. Tulane: Players to watch
QB Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss: An unforeseen early-season breakout transformed Chambliss from a backup quarterback into one of the nation’s most highly regarded signal-callers. The first matchup against Tulane was part of that emergence. Chambliss, who last week finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting, passed for 307 yards and ran for 112 more in his most productive outing of the season when he saw this Green Wave defense the first time around.
RB Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss: It has been a special year for SEC running backs, and Kewan Lacy is in the most elite tier of them after a regular season in which he paced the league in carries (258) and touchdowns (20) and racked up 1,279 yards on the ground. He feasted down the stretch against three of the SEC’s less formidable defensive fronts but was a touchdown machine against even the league’s best and will be a handful for the Green Wave.
LB Princewill Umanmielen, Ole Miss: Umanmielen has been as advertised in his first year with the Rebels. It took a change of scenery for him to fully unlock his potential as a former four-star recruit, and his transfer from Nebraska to Ole Miss precipitated the best year of his career, marked by team-high totals in tackles for loss (10.0) and sacks (6.5). Umanmielen seems to be peaking at the right time with 4.5 of those sacks coming in his last five games.
QB Jake Retzlaff, Tulane: The Green Wave offense starts and often stops with Retzlaff, the team leader in passing, rushing and total touchdowns. Although he transferred to Tulane late in the offseason, he settled in admirably with his new team and proceeded over the last 13 games to assert himself as one of the nation’s most productive dual-threat quarterbacks. His 16 rushing touchdowns are tied for the most of any FBS quarterback, and his 2,862 passing yards rank sixth in Tulane single-season history.
DL Santana Hopper, Tulane: Hopper will enter the transfer portal at the end of Tulane’s CFP run, but until then, he will make life difficult on the offensive lines tasked with blocking him this postseason. The first-team all-conference defensive lineman is the face of the Green Wave’s run defense but also shines as a pass rusher with 4.5 sacks on the year. He is capable of taking over a game and did so earlier in the season with four tackles for loss against Tulsa.
S Jack Tchienchou, Tulane: Tchienchou was all over the place in the American championship game and spearheaded an impressive defensive effort against a North Texas team that led the nation in scoring. Tulane’s leading tackler forced a fumble, recovered a separate fumble and hauled in an interception against the Mean Green.
A lot has changed for both teams since Ole Miss routed Tulane in 45-10 fashion on Sept. 22. What remains consistent, though, is the talent gap between one of the SEC’s top teams and the American champions. Most of the Rebels’ roster and coaching staff remains intact for the time being, and if it replicates the game plan that entirely stymied the Green Wave and rendered Retzlaff so ineffective that he landed on the bench, this contest will not be particularly competitive. Tulane had no answers on either side of the ball in a 35-point loss in the first contest, so even if it improves slightly in the rematch, it figures to have a hard time staying inside the 17.5-point margin. Pick: Ole Miss -17.5
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