Georgia vs. Ole Miss: Three Bold Predictions for New Year’s Day SEC Playoff Rematch

The Bulldogs and the Rebels will face off in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday night.

Georgia and Ole Miss will face off for the second time this season. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

A New Year’s Day trio of College Football Playoff games will come to a close on Thursday night as SEC rivals Georgia and Ole Miss face off in the Sugar Bowl.

The Rebels enter this one fresh off a first round win over Tulane—coach Pete Golding’s first with the program—as they try to make magic happen following the departure of Lane Kiffin to LSU late last month. On the year, Ole Miss's offense has been lethal, leading the SEC in yards per game (498.0) while scoring 37.5 points per game, good for third-best in the conference. Their only loss this season ironically came against the Bulldogs, who mounted a come-from-behind victory over them in mid-October.

Speaking of Georgia, they earned a first-round bye in the Playoff after a 12–1 season that also saw them throttle Alabama in the SEC Championship. They've rattled off nine straight victories since a late-September loss to the Tide and are looking to win a third national title under Kirby Smart's watch.

Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. ET from the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Here are three bold predictions for Ole Miss vs. Georgia.

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Gunner Stockton will throw for fewer than 200 yards for a fourth straight game

Gunner Stockton hasn't thrown for a ton of yards for Georgia lately. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton has been the centerpiece of the Bulldogs’ offense all season long, accounting for 31 total touchdowns and turning the ball over just seven times throughout the campaign. Additionally, he’s been highly efficient, completing 70.7% of his throws while posting a passer rating of 114.1 or better in all but one game.

Where Stockton has left much to be desired, however, is his yardage output. Now granted, Georgia has one of the better rushing offenses in the country, but the 21-year-old is just ninth in the SEC in passing yards and has thrown for less than 200 yards six times—including in each of the last three games.

That’s why, against an Ole Miss defense that’s allowed opposing passers to notch just 192.1 yards per game, I’m predicting Stockton will throw for fewer than 200 for a fourth game in a row on Thursday.

Kewan Lacy will be held scoreless for just the second time this season

Kewan Lacy has scored a touchdown in all but one game in 2025. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Kewan Lacy has been a touchdown machine for the Rebels in 2025, finding pay dirt in all but one game this season while doing so multiple times on six occasions.

In Ole Miss’s loss to Georgia earlier this year, the 19-year-old was stifled by their defense, rushing for a season-low 31 yards on 2.6 yards per carry. He did, however, still end up in the end zone twice in the 43–35 defeat.

While the Bulldogs surrendered 12 rushing touchdowns this season, four came against Ole Miss in the aforementioned matchup, and three others were scored in garbage time during blowout wins over Marshall and Mississippi State. Don’t get it twisted: this unit is legit—as evidenced by its 79.2 rushing yards allowed per game, the second-best mark in the SEC behind only Oklahoma.

Long story short? I’d be surprised if Smart & Co. don’t have their ducks in a row against the run versus the Rebels on Thursday, which is why I’m predicting Lacy to be held scoreless for just the second time all season.

Ole Miss’s Kiffin-less run will continue with upset win over Georgia 

The Rebels are 1–0 in the Pete Golding era. / Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Team of destiny? Momentum? Just a really good squad? Who’s to say. But the way Ole Miss dominated Tulane in the first round tells me they’re legit—regardless of who’s wearing the main headset on the sidelines.

The Rebels were up by nine in Athens over the Bulldogs earlier this year before letting it slip away. This time? They get it done. In yet another CFP quarterfinal upset, and with their former coach potentially in attendance, I’m predicting Ole Miss takes down Georgia, 35–30, in a Sugar Bowl for the ages.

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