Ole Miss vs. Tulane prediction, pick, spread: Rebels look for second win over Green Wave, this time in CFP
The Rebels and Green Wave play for the second time this season, with the winner earning a date against No. 3 Georgia
By
John Talty
•
3 min read
One of two College Football Playoff first-round rematches takes place Saturday when No. 6 Ole Miss hosts No. 11 Tulane.
The teams met in September, when Ole Miss rolled to a 45-10 win on its way to an 11-1 regular-season record. That game helped cement Trinidad Chambliss as the Rebels' quarterback of the future. Starting in place of an injured Austin Simmons, Chambliss threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns while adding 112 yards on the ground.
Much has changed since that Sept. 20 meeting in Oxford.
Lane Kiffin, who led Ole Miss that day, has since departed for LSU. Pete Golding, the defensive coordinator at the time, is now the Rebels' head coach. And Jon Sumrall, who was on the opposite sideline, is juggling two full-time jobs after accepting the Florida position.
There's a lot in motion, and that doesn't even account for the magnitude of the moment. A home playoff game at Ole Miss has a strong case as the most significant sporting event in Mississippi state history. The small town of Oxford will be packed with fans for an unprecedented December playoff game inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Ole Miss vs. Tulane: Need to know
How different does Ole Miss look? In the aftermath of Kiffin's messy departure, it's the biggest question heading into this game. Kiffin, long regarded as one of the sport's top offensive minds, is gone, and it's fair to wonder how that affects the Rebels' offense even with coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. staying on for the playoff run. In his first game as head coach, does Golding take a more conservative approach than Kiffin? Does Ole Miss lean more heavily on the run and embrace a defense-wins-championships mindset? This will be our first real look at what Golding's version of Ole Miss looks like, and it will be fascinating to see how closely he sticks to what worked under Kiffin.
Where does Tulane find an edge? Almost nothing went right for the Green Wave in the first meeting. While Kiffin's departure creates opportunity, Tulane is dealing with its own challenges. Sumrall and offensive coordinator Will Hall are both pulling double duty as Sumrall prepares to leave for Florida and Hall gets ready to take over as head coach. Tulane used two quarterbacks in the first matchup, Jake Retzlaff and Brendan Sullivan, and neither found success. The pair combined for just 104 passing yards on 29 attempts. Since then, Retzlaff has settled in and helped Tulane close the season on a five-game winning streak. Even if Ole Miss is less explosive offensively, Tulane will still need to keep pace, and that will require an efficient night from Retzlaff. Running back Jamauri McClure, who had only three carries in the first meeting, enters hot after rushing 22 times for 121 yards and a touchdown in the American Championship Game win over North Texas.
The best running back who doesn't get the requisite hype: Kewan Lacy was not a Heisman Trophy finalist like Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love. He didn't make first-team All-America at CBS Sports, the Associated Press or Sporting News. But it's long past time more people know about Ole Miss' star running back. Lacy finished with the nation's second-most rushing touchdowns at 20 and totaled 1,279 rushing yards. In his last two games alone, against Florida and Mississippi State, he rushed for 367 yards and four touchdowns while serving as the engine of the Rebels' offense. Trinidad Chambliss understandably draws most of the attention, but Lacy presents another major challenge Tulane must solve Saturday.
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 prediction, picks
Tulane is better than the 35-point whupping it received back in September. And with all the change and drama Ole Miss has experienced in the last month, it is easy to see how this result will be closer. But even with all that said, I don't see how Tulane pulls off the upset in Oxford. The team is fired up to play for new head coach Pete Golding. Ole Miss fans have been waiting for a moment like this their whole lives and the Rebels are simply too talented for Tulane to keep up. Take the Rebels. Pick: Ole Miss -17.5
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