Joel Klatt predicts winner, score of Georgia-Ole Miss Sugar Bowl
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The No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs (12-1) start their road to the national championship on New Year’s Day, facing the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels (12-1) in the Sugar Bowl, also known as the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. With many differing opinions on how the game will go, Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt predicted the outcome and score on his YouTube channel.
He started off by saying that Ole Miss could be out of gas. “I think this is where the air leaves the room for Ole Miss,” said Klatt, “New head coach Pete Golding is coming in and Lane Kiffin is gone. Georgia is just playing too well.”
The Bulldogs have been an unstoppable force in their last six games (after defeating Ole Miss the last time around). They’ve had a plus-99 point differential, scoring 28 points or more in four of those games (Mississippi State, Texas, Charlotte, Alabama) and holding opponents to less than 14 points in four of those games (Texas, Charlotte, Georgia Tech, Alabama).
The biggest turnaround has been the Bulldogs’ pass rush, and Joel Klatt pointed out a major statistic that correlates to their turnaround. Georgia had just eight sacks in the first eight games of the season, but in the last five games, the pass rush has generated 12 sacks. Georgia has also been good against the run all year, so the pass-rush stepping out brings back the Bulldogs defensive identity from the early 2020s.
Klatt is concerned about Ole Miss due to the loss of Lane Kiffin. “Part of the reason why it (Ole Miss) scored on five straight possessions (against Georgia) was Kiffin, You take that away, I don’t love it,” said Klatt.
He had one major point to hammer it home. “If you go back to COVID, 2020, Georgia has lost two games to teams not named Alabama,” said Klatt, “One was to Ole Miss last year with Kiffin calling plays, and the other was Notre Dame last year in the CFP.” Since 2021, Georgia has lost just five games in total and three against Alabama. They’re as decorated in 2025 as they were in the national championship years. They still have most of the same coaches that led them to back-to-back championships, and that is a big edge for the Bulldogs.
As a result, Klatt believes Georgia wins 42-27, covering the point spread of 6 1/2-points. If Georgia wins, they’d play the winner of the Cotton Bowl between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 10 Miami. The Sugar Bowl game will kickoff at 8:00 p.m. ET on Jan. 1, 2026.
Joel Klatt’s Predictions for CFP Semifinals
No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 4 Texas Tech (Orange Bowl): Oregon 30, Texas Tech 24
No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 3 Georgia (Sugar Bowl): Georgia 42, Ole Miss 27
No. 10 Miami vs. No. 2 Ohio State (Cotton Bowl): Ohio State 27, Miami (Fla.) 14
No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 1 Indiana (Rose Bowl): Indiana 24, Alabama 21
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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Joel Klatt makes Sugar Bowl, CFP predictions
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