What If Ole Miss Squared Off Against Indiana In the National Championship?

Even with the 2026 season right around the corner, Ole Miss’ 2025 campaign is still being talked about.

That narrative won’t change for Rebel fans, no matter the year. Last season was special for Ole Miss football, but what if it continued? What if Pete Golding's squad took down Miami and played against the Indiana Hoosiers in the national championship?

Would the Rebels have a shot, or would the Hoosiers still put the cherry on top of their historic season?

Where Ole Miss could’ve competed against Indiana

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss passes the ball during the Sugar Bowl | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

If the Rebels beat the Hurricanes in Arizona, their final test would have been the hardest they faced all season.

The Indiana Hoosiers were the team to beat. Nevertheless, the Ole Miss offense could have had a solid showing against their defense.

Trinidad Chambliss & co would have been going against the best defense they have seen all season if they made it to the National Championship. The Hoosiers defense ranked second in the nation for fewest points per game allowed.

However, the Rebels had gone up against some of the country's best defenses and put up plenty of points on the scoreboard. They saw the number 10th ranked defense in the Georgia Bulldogs twice and scored 35+ points in both games. They also went against arguably the best defense in the SEC in Oklahoma and scored 32 points. Finally, they went up against the fifth-best defense in the country in Miami and scored 27 points.

In reality, those 27 points weren’t enough, but it was still a solid showing for the Ole Miss offense.

It would have been hard to believe that even against one of the best defenses, Trinidad and the rest of the Rebels offense wouldn’t have cooked up some magic that might have possibly been enough to win the National Championship.

The Harsh Reality

Head coach Pete Golding speaks at Ole Miss “Meet the Rebels” | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Any Rebel fans that want to keep dreaming about Ole Miss beating Indiana in the national championship should stop reading the article at this point.

It could have been a great story that, after all the drama leading up to the playoff, Golding took his team all the way to the National Title game.

Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers would have then beaten them comfortably. Indiana was just a better version of the Hurricanes.

The Rebels got very little pressure against the Miami quarterback Carson Beck; because of that, he had a pretty solid game. Beck finished with 268 yards in the air with two passing touchdowns and an additional touchdown that would seal the Rebels' fate on the ground.

Now take Carson Beck and replace him with the Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza and give him the best offensive line in the country.

Mendoza would’ve picked the Rebels defense apart. He would’ve had all day to throw to the open man.

The Hoosiers would’ve dominated the time of possession because the Rebels offense runs tempo, and their goal is to score quickly. The Hoosiers' slow and methodical drives would tire the Ole Miss defense and ultimately be the reason why Indiana would've beaten the Rebels by at least 10 points.

The 2025 season for Ole Miss will become timeless. Many stories from last year will be shared amongst the people of Oxford for years to come. The question will always be asked, “What if we beat Miami?”

It would have made the year that much more special, but 2025 was always going to be the year of the Hoosier.

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