Paul Finebaum Makes Bold Statement on Ole Miss Football Ahead of Miami CFP Matchup

Pete Golding and Co. will hit the road to Glendale this week for a College Football Playoff clash against Miami, Finebaum weighs in.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

Pete Golding and the Ole Miss Rebels continue navigating preparation for a College Football Playoff matchup against Carson Beck and the Miami Hurricanes with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. CT on Jan. 8.

In what will be Golding's third game at the helm of the program, the new Ole Miss shot-caller will look to remain unblemished after College Football Playoff wins over the Tulane Green Wave and Georgia Bulldogs to open postseason play.

Despite the rapid success from Golding, the talk of the town via social media surrounds ex-Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin after the former decision-maker of the program departed Oxford for the job at LSU.

“After a lot of prayer and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision to accept the head coaching position at LSU,” Kiffin said in a statement. “I was hoping to complete a historic six season run with this year’s team by leading Ole Miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on the team’s incredible success and their commitment to finish strong, and investing everything into a playoff run with guardrails in place to protect the program in any areas of concern.”

“My request to do so was denied by (Athletic Director) Keith Carter despite the team also asking him to allow me to keep coaching them so they could better maintain their high level of performance. Unfortunately, that means Friday’s Egg Bowl was my last game coaching the Rebels.”

Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

But Kiffin's departure has lit a fire underneath the Ole Miss Rebels with a collective buy-in from the program once their former shot-caller left town.

Now, Ole Miss is 2-0 in the College Football Playoff with the program one win away from clinching a spot in the National Championship.

SEC Network's Paul Finebaum weighed in on the run Ole Miss is on - calling them "America's Team" this postseason.

Paul Finebaum's Take: Ole Miss is "America's Team"

“It’s such a cliché to say that somebody is America’s team because somebody is always America’s team, but this Ole Miss team would be,” Finebaum said.

“It’s not really so much that anyone cares about Ole Miss, but that the country in unison is really starting to hate Lane Kiffin.”

Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

College Football Playoff Semifinals

No. 10 Miami vs. No. 6 Ole Miss (Fiesta Bowl)
Date: Jan. 8, 2026
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN

No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 1 Indiana (Peach Bowl)
Date: Jan. 9, 2026
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN

More Ole Miss News:

Lane Kiffin Reacts to New Offensive Coordinator Being Hired By Ole Miss Football

Ole Miss Football QB Trinidad Chambliss Wins Major Award Amid Breakout Season

ESPN Predicts Outcome of Ole Miss Football vs. Tulane Green Wave in CFP Showdown

Join the Community:

Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and Ole Miss Rebels On SI: @OleMissOnSI for all coverage surrounding the Ole Miss program.