Ole Miss vs. Georgia prediction: Beat writers pick Sugar Bowl winner

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The Sugar Bowl is an all-SEC matchup as Ole Miss and Georgia meet in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal tonight.

The two teams met Oct. 18, a 43-35 Bulldogs win. Gunner Stockton completed 26-of-31 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns and Georgia (12-1) held Ole Miss to 88 rushing yards.

Ole Miss (12-1) cruised in its CFP first round game against Tulane, another rematch. Pete Golding's debut was nearly perfect. Can he engineer an upset in New Orleans?

Writers from Clarion Ledger and Athens Banner-Herald, both part of USA TODAY Co., provided their predictions for Thursday night's CFP quarterfinal matchup. The winner advances to the Fiesta Bowl for a semifinal showdown with either Ohio State or Miami.

Ole Miss vs Georgia prediction

∎ Georgia 34, Ole Miss 21: Kirby Smart's 4-0 record in rematches is not something to dismiss. The matchups are largely the same and the teams that played 10 weeks and 5 days ago have grown. Georgia, in particular, is a much better team defensively. Ole Miss gave the Bulldogs all they could handle until the fourth quarter of the first game in a 43-35 Georgia win.

Georgia seems about as locked in as can be given player movement is about to crank up with the transfer portal opening next month. A good chunk of the Ole Miss coaching staff is pulling double duty for their new jobs at LSU, but will turn attention to this game after Christmas. The Bulldogs were on a heater when they hit the playoff bye. Expect them to pick up where they left off with the defense raising its game considerably since the first matchup. — Marc Weiszer, Athens Banner-Herald

∎ Georgia 28, Ole Miss 27: The Rebels dominated Tulane in the first round of the CFP, but the Bulldogs represent Ole Miss' first significant test the post-Lane Kiffin era. Georgia is coming off a 28-7 win against Alabama in the SEC championship and is playing well enough late in the season to win. — Sam Hutchens, Clarion Ledger

∎ Georgia 28, Ole Miss 23: In the Oct. 18 game, Ole Miss was the better team for three quarters, but got outscored 17-0 in the fourth. Georgia's pass defense is the weakest part of its defensive game, giving up 205.3 yards per game. It's one of the few major defensive statistics in which the Bulldogs aren't ranked in the top 15 nationally.

Conversely, Ole Miss is third in the FBS with 312.4 passing yards per game. Chambliss has been the team's breakout star. He threw for 262 yards and a touchdown in the first matchup and rushed for two more scores. Another big game from him could be all it takes for Ole Miss to have a chance.

Beating a team twice in one season is difficult, but Georgia has found ways to win all season. It has gotten only stronger since the first meeting. —Tia Reed, Clarion Ledger

When is Ole Miss vs Georgia today in Sugar Bowl?

  • When: 8 p.m., Thursday, Jan .1
  • Where: New Orleans

What TV channel is Ole Miss vs Georgia today in Sugar Bowl

  • TV: ESPN

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ole Miss vs Georgia prediction: Writers pick Sugar Bowl CFP quarterfinal

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