Mississippi-Tulane predictions: CFP picks for first-round rematch
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Mississippi and Tulane met in the fourth week of the regular season. The teams will face off exactly three months later in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
The Rebels handily won that first meeting at home 45-10 in a game that was over by halftime. Now the Green Wave return to Oxford hoping to change history. One thing working in their favor is that things are very different for Ole Miss. Lane Kiffin is no longer on the sideline after his exit to LSU, meaning the first game of the Pete Golding era starts in the playoff with some coaches that will move with Kiffin sticking around for the postseason.
It’s not also smooth sailing for the Green Wave. Jon Sumrall accepted the job at Florida and will leave once Tulane’s season ends. Can he find a different solution to pulling off the upset?
Our experts weigh in with their picks for which team will advance to meet Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
Matt Hayes
We saw this show in the first month of the season, and it wasn’t pretty. And that was before Trinidad Chambliss started feeling it as the new starting quarterback at Ole Miss. This one is over early. Mississippi 41, Tulane 9.
Jordan Mendoza
Getting a team the Rebels already comfortably handled earlier in the season won’t really test how much things change without Lane Kiffin. Tulane will put up a better fight this time around, but Mississippi is able to put the Green Wave away early in the second half. Mississippi 34, Tulane 20,
Paul Myerberg
Ole Miss smothered Tulane back in September and is poised to do so again, this time without Lane Kiffin on the sidelines. He won’t be missed – yet. The Rebels have a big-time talent edge and should have a chip on their shoulders to prove they’re more than just their former coach. Mississippi 41, Tulane 21.
Erick Smith
The adage that it is difficult to beat a team twice in the same season might be true if the teams are close in talent. That’s not the case with the Rebels and Green Wave. Maybe Tulane can force a turnover or two and put pressure on the Ole Miss to keep it close. But the result will be the same. Mississippi 34, Tulane 20.
Eddie Timanus
Despite the departure of Lane Kiffin that has Ole Miss in an unusual position, there’s little to suggest this meeting with the Green Wave will unfold any differently than the first one. It might take a quarter or two, but the Rebels will take charge. Mississippi, 31, Tulane 14.
Blake Toppmeyer
The Rebels don’t need Lane Kiffin to beat Tulane. They just need Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy playing to their abilities. Tulane is one of the Group of Five’s best teams. And yet, when it played Ole Miss in September, the Rebels beat the Green Wave by 35 points. This game will remind us the CFP is not March Madness, and there’s no college football equivalent of the 3-point arc that is college basketball’s great equalizer. Mississippi 38, Tulane 20.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mississippi-Tulane predictions: Picks for CFP first-round game
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