Ole Miss vs. Tulane: Time, Date, TV Channel, 2026 College Football Playoff Preview

It’s bowl season, which means we have a lot of football to watch between Dec. 13 and Jan. 19! Ohio State, Utah, Georgia Southern, Army, Texas A&M — and just about everyone in between — will take part in a total of 47 games that will ultimately conclude with the 2026 CFP National Championship.

NESN has you covered with previews for each and every game — with our next contest continuing things in the 2026 College Football Playoff:

2026 College Football Playoff First-Round Game

Matchup: Ole Miss Rebels vs. Tulane Green Wave
Date: Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET
Stadium: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium — Oxford, Miss.
TV: TNT, HBO Max

Game Overview

The 2026 College Football Playoff continues with an odd matchup between No. 6 Ole Miss and No. 11 Tulane.

Lane Kiffin and John Sumrall, the two head coaches who led these teams to the postseason, will be moving on at the conclusion of the season — with the former jetting off for LSU and the latter soon to take over at Florida.

Kiffin has already moved on, which has caused all sorts of questions regarding college football’s schedule and whether or not the program is doing what’s best for the players. Sumrall, in the exact opposite way of doing things, will stick with his team until their season ends.

It’ll remain to be seen whether or not that changes anything in this rematch between the Rebels and Green Wave — with the former winning the first game, 45-10.

Team Overviews

Ole Miss Rebels
Conference: SEC
Head Coach: Pete Golding
Record: 11–1

Ole Miss is coming off the most successful regular season in program history, boasting wins over the likes of No. 8 Oklahoma, LSU and Tulane — with their sole loss coming against No. 3 Georgia.

The Rebels will undergo plenty of changes once the season wraps, but they’ll still have defensive play-caller Pete Golding and offensive play-caller Charlie Weis Jr. for this one — with the former’s unit allowing just 20.1 points per game (25th of 136) and the latter’s unit scoring 37.2 points per game (11th of 136).

Trinidad Chambliss has accounted for 24 touchdowns and just three interceptions, while running back Kewan Lacy, defensive lineman Will Echoles and defensive back Wydett Williams Jr. were named All-SEC in 2025. Lacy, who accounted for 1,433 total yards and 20 touchdowns, was selected as an AP All-American.

Tulane Green Wave
Conference: American
Head Coach: John Sumrall
Record: 11-2

Tulane shouldn’t just happy to be there… but they might just be happy to be there.

The Green Wave hasn’t exactly faced a murderers row this season, but does boast wins over No. 22 Memphis and No. 20 North Texas — the latter of which was a dismantling of the only team in in their conference who the general public thought might put up a fight.

Jake Retzlaff hasn’t exactly been a gunslinger this season, but did account for 30 total touchdowns while accounting for 2,862 passing yards and 610 rushing yards, making up for the relatively unimpressive overall production around him — with the offense scoring 29.1 points per game (57th of 136) and the defense allowing 22.6 points per game (50th of 136).

Players to Watch

Ole Miss
QB Trinidad Chambliss
RB Kewan Lacy
WR De’Zhaun Stribling
TE Dae’Quan Wright
DL Will Echoles
DB Wydett Williams Jr.

Tulane
QB Jake Retzlaff
WR Shazz Preston
WR Omari Hayes
DL Harvey Dyson III
DL Jordan Norman
DB Jaheim Johnson
DB Javion White

Key Notes

Ole Miss’ only loss came after they surrendered 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter resulting in a 43-35 loss to Georgia.

No. 3 Georgia will face the winner in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.

Betting Lines

DraftKings Sportsbook: Ole Miss -17.5 | O/U 56.5
FanDuel Sportsbook: Ole Miss -17.5 | O/U 56.5
BetMGM Sportsbook: Ole Miss -17.5 | O/U 56.5

The Pick: Ole Miss -17.5