Tulane vs. Ole Miss Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for College Football Playoff First Round

Ole Miss can still count on its defense with Lane Kiffin out of the picture.

Trinidad Chambliss and Ole Miss are favored against Tulane on Saturday. / Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ole Miss might not need Lane Kiffin to get through the first round of this year’s College Football Playoff. The Rebels will host Tulane Saturday as 17.5-point favorites in its first game following Kiffin’s departure for LSU. Whether his move will affect this matchup remains to be seen.

Ole Miss has rattled off five straight wins since its last loss despite the noise surrounding Kiffin. Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy are still leading one of the nation’s most dynamic offenses and the Rebels have already blown the Green Wave out by 35 once this season. Will history repeat itself this weekend?

Here’s our full betting breakdown ahead of kickoff.

Tulane vs. Ole Miss Odds, Spread and Total

Spread

• Tulane: +17.5 (-118)
• Ole miss: -17.5 (-104)

Moneyline

• Tulane: +590
• Ole Miss: -900

Total: 55.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Tulane vs. Ole Miss How to Watch

• Date: Saturday, December 20
• Game Time: 3:30 PM EST
• Venue: Vaught Hemingway Stadium
• How to Watch (TV): TNT
• Tulane: 11-2
• Ole Miss: 11-1

Tulane vs. Ole Miss Key Players to Watch

Tulane

Jake Retzlaff: Retzlaff is one of college football’s most productive dual-threat quarterbacks. He’s thrown for 2,862 yards and 14 touchdowns with three picks to go alongside 16 rushing touchdowns. Only three FBS players have reached the end zone more on the ground this year. He was helpless in his first meeting with Ole Miss this season and only completed five of his 17 passing attempts for 56 yards. He’ll have to be better for the Green Wave to have a shot.

Ole Miss

Trinidad Chambliss: Chambliss has thrown for more than 300 yards in three straight games and could stack up some impressive numbers in his second meeting with Tulane. He threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for a career-high 112 yards against the Green Wave earlier this season. No player is more likely to take over this first-round matchup than Chambliss.

Tulane vs. Ole Miss Prediction and Pick

Kiffin’s absence will likely affect Ole Miss’s playcalling, but we’ve already seen what its overwhelming talent on both sides of the ball can do against Tulane. The defense will firmly be in pace for round two.

Pete Golding has been promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach, so the Rebels can still count on his dominant schemes and game planning. He helped hold Tulane to just 242 total yards of offense the first time these two teams met. For reference, UMass is averaging an FBS-low 247.5 yards per game this year.

Bettors should expect Tulane to be limited on offense once again. Ole Miss can generate stops and create plenty of chances to put points on the board and cover comfortably. 

PICK: Ole Miss -17.5 (-104 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

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