Georgia prepares for Sugar Bowl rematch as Ole Miss promises a better fight
A Georgia Bulldogs football helmet sits on the field prior to the college football game between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Georgia Bulldogs on October 18, 2025, at Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA. (Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Image
ATHENS, Ga. - Georgia’s path through the College Football Playoff now runs straight through a familiar opponent, and the Bulldogs are already hearing plenty from Ole Miss as the Rebels gear up for a rematch in the Sugar Bowl.
What we know:
Ole Miss (12-1) rolled past Tulane 41-10 in Saturday’s opening round, setting up a Jan. 1 quarterfinal showdown in New Orleans against third-seeded Georgia (12-1), the Southeastern Conference champion. The Bulldogs won the regular season meeting 43-35 in Athens on Oct. 18 after erasing a nine-point fourth quarter deficit.
A general view of the Ole Miss Rebels helmet prior to the 2025 College Football Playoff First Round Game against the Tulane Green Wave at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on December 20, 2025 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Wes Hale/Getty Images)
What they're saying:
Rebels players made clear after Saturday’s win that Georgia has their full attention.
"We’re looking forward to playing them again," wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling said. "Georgia is impressive. But there were things in that game that we could have done better."
Ole Miss enters the rematch with a significantly different look. Pete Golding took over as head coach just two days after the regular season finale, stepping in after Lane Kiffin departed for LSU on Nov. 30. Golding, formerly the Rebels’ defensive coordinator, earned a smooth debut with the lopsided Tulane win and said the Sugar Bowl’s New Orleans setting adds meaning.
"I know how much it means to be playing in New Orleans," Golding said. "We will enjoy this one tonight and tomorrow we start preparing for Georgia."
The Rebels’ unexpected playoff push came despite heavy roster turnover and an early quarterback change. Ole Miss replaced 20 starters entering the season, then moved Trinidad Chambliss into the starting quarterback role after an early injury sidelined Week 1 starter Austin Simmons.
"We never doubted that we were a playoff team when the summer practice started," Chambliss said. "There were doubters that thought we would be a mid-tier SEC team, maybe. We knew we were a playoff team."
A Bulldogs helmet on the sidelines during the Friday afternoon college football game between the UGA Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on November 28, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
The Sugar Bowl is familiar territory for both programs. Georgia and Ole Miss join Alabama and LSU as the only teams with at least 10 appearances, though this will be the first Sugar Bowl in 60 years featuring two SEC teams. The last time was in 1964, when Ole Miss lost to Alabama 12-7 in snowy conditions at old Tulane Stadium.
Still, the Rebels insist this meeting with Georgia is less about revenge and more about opportunity. The regular season matchup featured more than 850 yards of combined offense and 10 total touchdowns. Ole Miss scored on five straight possessions, and Georgia never punted — a reality that defensive tackle Will Echoles said has stuck with them.
"We’ve talked about that, and we talked about it again tonight after the game. I mean, we’ve got to do everything better," Echoles said. "That was a bad game for our defense — a really bad game. Period. We know we will have to play our best game."
TJ Dottery, the Rebels’ leading tackler, put it simply: "Physicality. That’s what Georgia brings. But that’s what I look forward to, is the physicality of the game."
What's next:
Georgia defeated Ole Miss once this season and now finds itself preparing for a rematch with a Rebels team embracing change, confidence, and the chance to prove the first meeting was not the full story.
The Source: The details in this article come from reporting by the Associated Press and FOX Sports.