Miami vs Ole Miss Free Pick, CFB Free Picks, CFB Predictions 1/8/26
- J.A. Cavalier
- Jan 8
- 4 min read
MIAMI vs. OLE MISS (MIA -3.5, 52.5)
CFB ODDS, CFB PREDICTIONS, CFB PREVIEWS
HURRICANES @ REBELS 1/8/26
This year's College Football Playoff has two of the most interesting stories thanks to Miami and Ole Miss. However, when the teams meet each other in a CFP semifinal tonight in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, only one will get the opportunity to compete for a national championship.
The 10th-seeded Hurricanes (12-2) upset the odds twice after making the 12-team field as the final at-large pick. They defeated seventh-seeded Texas A&M 10-3 in the first round and No. 2 Ohio State 24-14 in the Cotton Bowl on December 31.
The No. 6 Rebels (13-1), who will play Miami for the first time since 1951, defeated No. 3 seed Georgia 39-34 in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal last Thursday after crushing 11th-seeded Tulane 41-10 in the first round.
On January 19 in Miami, the winner of tonight's game will play the winner of Friday's Peach Bowl semifinal between fifth-seeded Oregon and top-seeded Indiana for the national championship.
Despite having a shifting coaching staff since head coach Lane Kiffin left in November to take a position at LSU, Ole Miss is persevering and extending its finest season in program history. The Rebels have continued to look for ways to prolong their season, with Pete Golding elevated to head coach and several assistant coaches, including offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., staying with the team until the end of the season.
On Tuesday, Joe Judge, the quarterbacks coach at Ole Miss, likened the situation to how they dealt with the unpredictability of coaches' availability during the 2020 COVID epidemic.
"We always talk ahead basically after every game, me and Charlie (Weis Jr.) and Pete (Golding) have sat down and talked about the next week coming up and how we're going to handle it," Judge stated. "And how we're going to prepare for the upcoming week, as well as when he's heading to Baton Rouge and returning. We've talked about all the what-ifs throughout the week."
Miami is one victory away from competing for a possible sixth national title and its first since 2001, while Ole Miss is aiming for its first national championship. Attempting to slow down Miami's Mark Fletcher Jr.-led rushing attack and shielding quarterback Trinidad Chambliss from the Hurricanes' potent pass rush, which is led by defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, will be two of the Rebels' most important tasks. The Hurricanes lead the country with 46 sacks over 14 games, including 12 in two CFP matchups.
"We're a D-line that puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback," Mesidor, who has three and a half sacks during the postseason, stated. "Our DBs are excellent players who are large and quick. I firmly believe that we support one another. We put the quarterback under pressure and force him to make a mistake."
Ole Miss gave up 124 yards to Georgia last week and is ranked No. 65 in the country for rushing defense (146.1 yards per game). Last week, Fletcher ran for 90 of the Hurricanes' 153 yards on the ground against Ohio State and 172 of Miami's 175 yards against Texas A&M.
"They have a lot of confidence in their run game," TJ Dottery, a linebacker for Ole Miss, stated on Tuesday. It's quite physical, and that serves as a model for dominating up front. We intend to control their line of scrimmage and prevent that from happening.
Against Georgia, Chambliss had one of his best performances ever, completing 30 of 46 passes for 362 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. Miami’s best defensive players are aware of the threat posed by Chambliss' ability to create plays.
"I definitely think it's something everybody collectively as a defense has to focus on," Miami defensive back Keionte Scott, who scored a touchdown on a crucial 72-yard interception return against Ohio State, said. You can't set it on one or two position groupings, in my opinion. I believe that everyone performing their duties (1 through 11) can erase a lot of those things when it reaches the point where it breaks down or doesn't break down."
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TRINIDAD CHAMBLISS UNDER 1.5 TD PASSES
Chambliss will have a tough time tonight against a very good Miami defense. Last week, Georgia got pressure on Chambliss and the Bulldogs ranked 124th in the nation in sack rate. Miami ranks 7th. The Hurricanes give up 201 passing yards per game and while Ohio State’s Julian Sayin threw for some yards last week, he only managed one touchdown. As good as Chambliss has been all season, he’s only thrown for two or more TDs in 5 of 14 games.
