ESPN GameDay crew predicts major upset in top SEC matchup originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The fifth-ranked Ole Miss Rebels enter a must-win matchup vs. No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs for many reasons. This could be the moment that vaults Lane Kiffin’s team into the elite conversation in the country with real College Football Playoff aspirations.
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Many believe Saturday’s top SEC affair will be close, but none of ESPN’s College GameDay crew has Ole Miss coming away from Athens with a win. The entire panel, including guest picker Jelly Roll, sees the Bulldogs defending their home turf. While it’s expected with the show being on Georgia’s campus, the game still has to be played.
Kiffin looks for progress and to take his program to another level. He also “loved up” his opponent. “You know, this is the elite,” said Kiffin of Georgia. “This isn’t coachspeak, It’s stats, or facts. This is the elite program in college football.”
Ole Miss took a 28-10 win over Georgia last season. Except that came in Oxford, and not Athens. “There’s another step that’s, you know, can you go beat an elite program like we were able to do last year in Georgia, but now do it at their place?” Kiffin said. “So it’s a great opportunity.”
The Bulldogs had a 33-game home winning streak under coach Kirby Smart get snapped three weeks ago with a 24-21 loss to then-No. 17 Alabama on Sept. 27. It was the Bulldogs’ first home loss since 2019. That run included back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022.
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If history tells us anything about the future, Smart and the Bulldogs are 10-0 at home against Top 10 teams.
Ole Miss meets Georgia on Saturday afternoon (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
