The Ole Miss football team has put the football world on notice — enough to lure “College GameDay” to preview its upcoming matchup against Georgia.
ESPN announced on Sunday that the popular weekly show leading up to action on the gridiron will set up shop in Athens on Oct. 18, spotlighting the contest between the Rebels and the Bulldogs. Country music stars Bailey Zimmerman and Luke Combs will put on a special live performance during the festivities. GameDay will run from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. CT and will be aired on ESPN, featuring panelists Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee, Desmond Howard, and more.
WEEK 8: ATHENS 📍
We’re headed south for @OleMissFB at @GeorgiaFootball with a special live performance from @baileyzimmerman and @lukecombs 🤩 pic.twitter.com/ghDVc30n6f
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 12, 2025
Ole Miss (6-0, 3-0 SEC) evaded disaster in its most recent outing, taking down Washington State 24-21. The Rebels did not play up to head coach Lane Kiffin’s standards on Saturday, as the team found itself having to force a last-second stop to emerge victorious over the Cougars (3-3), which had been on the losing side of lopsided final scores twice this season.
“I’m just really disappointed. I hope they don’t feel good about it,” Kiffin said of his postgame message to his team. “I just wanted to make sure they understood that this is not the standard that we play with here. A lot of guys are from different places and may not be used to what our standard is, and that’s not what we’re supposed to do. We paid a lot, they get paid a lot, and a lot of people come to our games.”
Kiffin’s Rebels opened things up with three consecutive fruitless offensive drives — a turnover on downs in the red zone, a missed field goal, and a fumble — keeping the door open for a Washington State team that had struggled this season to garner confidence on the road. The dysrhythmic start set the tone for the remainder of the game, but Ole Miss essentially did just enough to emerge victorious.
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was far from sharp against the Cougars. Although he played nearly flawlessly in his first three starts, he appeared off at times in his fourth start, missing throws and not reacting quickly enough to blitzes Washington State threw at him, resulting in multiple sacks and a costly fumble.
All things considered, however, Chambliss had a decent day, per the stat sheet. He completed 20 of 29 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns. His top target was tight end Dae’Quan Wright, who had 80 yards and a touchdown. Chambliss also ran for 15 yards and a score. Moving forward, Kiffin elected not to publicly commit to Chambliss as his starting signal caller, as Austin Simmons continues to recover from an ankle injury.
Defensively, Ole Miss was anchored by Kam Franklin. The Lake Cormorant native had six total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and a pass breakup. Will Echoles, a Houston native, had four tackles, two of which were for a loss, and a crucial sack. Princewill Umanmielen, who has struggled to get home when pressuring quarterbacks this season, finally amassed a sack.
As for Georgia, the Bulldogs (5-1, 3-1 SEC) bounced back from a home loss against Alabama with a potentially season-defining road win in front of a ferocious Auburn crowd. Kirby Smart’s crew will also be out for revenge against the Rebels, as Ole Miss dominated Georgia in Oxford one season ago. However, the last time the two teams met in Sanford Stadium, the Bulldogs bludgeoned the red and blue in a 52-17 final.
The marquis matchup between Ole Miss and Georgia will occur with both teams ranked among the best 10 teams in the nation, according to the Associated Press. As expected, the Rebels experienced a slight drop off in the polls after the ugly win over the Cougars. Ole Miss will enter its next contest ranked No. 5, while Georgia will hold the No. 9 spot. The Bulldogs are currently 6.5-point favorites.
- Ohio State
- Miami
- Indiana
- Texas A&M
- Ole Miss
- Alabama
- Texas Tech
- Oregon
- Georgia
- LSU
- Tennessee
- Georgia Tech
- Notre Dame
- Oklahoma
- BYU
- Missouri
- Vanderbilt
- Virginia
- South Florida
- USC
- Texas
- Memphis
- Utah
- Cincinnati
- Nebraska
Kickoff for Ole Miss versus Georgia is set for 2:30 p.m. CT, with ABC and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations handling the broadcast.
