College Football Playoff: Tulane vs. Ole Miss Prediction, Betting Odds & How To Watch

Tulane didn’t just lose the last time it played Ole Miss. The Green Wave fell in a lopsided fashion.

They went to Oxford, Mississippi, and lost 45-10. Tulane was outgained 548-282. Green Wave quarterback Jake Retzlaff threw for just 56 yards and ran for 51.

So the question is: Will Tulane be better this time around?

Well, Tulane (11-2) has lost just once since that game in September and won the American Conference Championship over North Texas. With that conference title, the Green Wave earned the No. 11 seed in the College Football Playoff and will play at No. 6-ranked Ole Miss (11-1) in the first round.

The Green Wave beat two Power Four opponents – Northwestern and ACC champion Duke – while battling for wins over top-notch American teams like East Carolina, Army, and Memphis. The Green Wave lost to Ole Miss and fell 48-26 at UTSA as well, but otherwise, they’ve been a solid team on both sides of the ball.

Things are different for Ole Miss since that last game, too. Former head coach Lane Kiffin has since departed for LSU, and the Rebels promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding to the head coaching position long-term.

So how will that impact the Rebels in their first game without Kiffin?

Tulane vs. Ole Miss Betting Odds

Ole Miss is a -17.5 college football betting odds favorite against Tulane, with the Over/Under being 56.5 as of this writing. The moneyline for Tulane is +625, while it’s -1000 for Ole Miss.

Tulane vs. Ole Miss On TV

The matchup between Tulane and Ole Miss will be televised on TNT, HBO Max, and truTV. 

The game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 20. The contest is taking place at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi.

Tulane vs. Ole Miss Prediction

I predict Ole Miss will win but Tulane will cover the 17.5-point spread. I also project the game will go Under 56.5 total points.

I anticipate this rematch will be closer than it was the last time these two teams played. 

Tulane has played at a high level since that Ole Miss loss in September. It has already proven it isn’t afraid of Power Four opponents having defeated two Power Four teams already this season, including the winner of the ACC in Duke. And who knows how much different this Ole Miss program will be without Lane Kiffin.

So I expect Tulane will find a way to make this game ugly, whether it be through forcing turnovers – the Green Wave are 11th in the country with a 0.77 turnover margin – or sustaining long drives on offense with an effective ground game.

My problem with the Green Wave is, while they do a lot of things pretty well, they aren’t really exceptional on either side of the ball. They’re outside of the top 35 in scoring offense, scoring defense, total offense, and total defense. So if this game gets tough, which it likely will considering the hype and energy around it, there’s not really one particular area of the game they can lean on that gives me much confidence.

I anticipate Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and the Rebels won’t play a perfect game, but I do believe they’ll find a way to win at home.