Tulane vs. Ole Miss: Three Bold Predictions for CFP First Round Matchup

Blake Silverman | 1 Hour Ago

Pete Golding took over for Ole Miss after Lane Kiffin departed for LSU / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

No team has had more chaos surrounding its orbit heading into the College Football Playoff than Ole Miss. After weeks of mayhem, it’s finally time to play some football.

Lane Kiffin departed Ole Miss to take the LSU job, which led the Rebels to quickly name defensive coordinator Pete Golding as their permanent coach. Kiffin wanted to lead Ole Miss through the CFP in its historic 11-1 season, a hope which administration did not go for.

Remarkably, Ole Miss isn’t the only program dealing with a coaching change in its first-round CFP game. Tulane coach Jon Sumrall is headed to Florida, but he will remain with his team through the postseason. The Green Wave are in the midst of a historic season as well, making the program’s first CFP appearance.

Ole Miss and Tulane met earlier this season in Oxford, Miss., a game which the Rebels dominated 45-10. Now, the two sides will meet once more at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to determine who will move on to play No. 3 seed and SEC champion Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and CFP quarterfinal.

Here are three bold predictions as No. 11 Tulane travels to take on No. 6 Ole Miss in a first-round matchup, the first game for the Rebels after the Kiffin era:

Kewan Lacy rushes for multiple scores

Kewan Lacy has rushed for 20 touchdowns this season / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Somewhat quietly, Rebels running back Kewan Lacy has been one of the nation’s best running backs this year. His 20 rushing touchdowns are the most in college football outside of North Texas’ Caleb Hawkins (23). Lacy’s 20 scores are two more than Notre Dame star and Heisman finalist Jeremiyah Love.

Ole Miss’ sophomore star has found the end zone in all but one game this season, scoring multiple times in six contests. His best game came Nov. 15 against Florida, where he rushed for a whopping 224 yards and three scores for his third three-touchdown game of the season. Tulane will need to keep Lacy under wraps for a chance at pulling the upset. But, with the dominant rusher getting better by the week, minimizing his output will be a tall task.

MORE. Three Reasons Why Ole Miss Can Still Win a National Championship Without Lane Kiffin. Three Reasons Why Ole Miss Can Still Win CFP Without Lane Kiffin. dark

Tulane’s Jake Retzlaff has a big day in the air

Jake Retzlaff transferred to Tulane from BYU / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Jake Retzlaff, the junior BYU transfer, has more rushing touchdowns than passing this season, but the Green Wave will need to air it out to keep up with Ole Miss and have a chance at pulling off the upset. He rushed for two scores in Tulane’s win over North Texas in the American Athletic Conference championship game to help secure the program’s first CFP appearance.

He has 16 rushing touchdowns to 14 passing on the year, but he’s still been good with his arm. Ole Miss crushed Tulane 45-10 on Sep. 20 where Retzlaff went just 5-for-17 passing with 56 yards, while adding 51 yards on the ground. Rebels QB Trinidad Chambliss threw for 307 yards and rushed for 112 more against the Green Wave. Chambliss threw two passing touchdowns, while Lacy found the end zone twice on the ground. Retzlaff will need to get it going through the air for a shot at avenging the early-season loss.

Lane Kiffin saga fuels Ole Miss for CFP run

Lane Kiffin jumped for the LSU job / Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After all the Kiffin chaos, Ole Miss has to be ready to block out the noise and play some football. You have to imagine the environment in Oxford will be rocking following all the hubbub, with the team ready to prove they are ready to make a run in the CFP.

You could say the same about Tulane with Sumrall’s pending departure, but Kiffin’s breakup with Ole Miss was certainly messy, which should only fuel the Rebels’ fire. Once Golding was announced as the new coach, players were seen leaving the consequential team meeting fired up, ready to put the mess behind them and go all out for their new head man. The first-round matchup with Tulane will be Golding’s first at the helm and his players will surely do everything possible to make a statement and continue the remarkable season.

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