Zoo Atlanta's Yang Yang The Panda Picks Winner of 2023 Peach Bowl
OXFORD, Miss. -- The No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels are set to take on the No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions on Dec. 30 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. Many experts around college football are giving their predictions for what should be one of the most exciting NY6 matchups this season, and a member of the animal kingdom even got in on the action Thursday night.
Zoo Atlanta's 26 year old giant panda, Yang Yang, has made his annual Peach Bowl pick, and has selected Penn State to beat Ole Miss. Yang Yang was presented two boxes filled with straw, one featuring the Ole Miss logo and one with the Penn State logo, and tore into the Nittany Lions' stash.
You can find the entirety of "Panda Pick 'em" here.
Oct 21, 2023; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin talks to a game official during the second quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
© John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
Many people will likely scoff at Yang Yang's picks, but unfortunately for Ole Miss fans, the panda has correctly guessed the last three winners of the Peach Bowl in this tradition that has lasted longer than half a decade.
Yang Yang also correctly picked the Georgia Bulldogs to win the 2022-23 national championship. Does this Panda know ball?
We will have to wait until later this month to see if Yang Yang can extend his successful prediction streak to four seasons.
Win or lose the Peach Bowl, Ole Miss will still make history this season after reaching 10 regular season wins for the second time in program history, the first of which came under Lane Kiffin in 2021. Now, the Rebels have a shot at their first-ever 11-win season in school history, and all that stands in the way is Penn State.
Kickoff between Ole Miss and Penn State on Dec. 30 is set for 11 a.m. CT, and the game will be televised on ESPN.
