College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl
Caesars Superdome | Thursday, January 1, 2026 | 7 p.m. CT on ESPN

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NEW ORLEANS (December 20, 2025) – Southeastern Conference rivals Ole Miss and Georgia will meet in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Thursday, January 1, 2026, in the Caesars Superdome. The sixth-seeded Rebels defeated No. 11 Tulane, 41-10, in Oxford on Saturday afternoon in a College Football Playoff First-Round Game to advance to the Playoff Quarterfinals. Georgia, which earned the No. 3 overall seed after winning the SEC Championship, had a first-round bye.
 
The Allstate Sugar Bowl is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. (Central) and will be televised by ESPN.
 
The Sugar Bowl Committee encourages fans looking to purchase tickets to visit Ticketmaster as the official verified resale platform of the 2026 Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Also available are multiple premium seating options.
 
"We knew we would have a tremendous match-up no matter who won the CFP First-Round Game," said Dottie Reese, the President of the Sugar Bowl Committee. "We're confident that having two of the best teams from the SEC facing off here in the Sugar Bowl will be a memorable event for our local fans, the supporters of the schools, and college football fans across the country."
 
Georgia (12-1, 7-1 SEC) earned the No. 3 seed from the College Football Playoff Selection Committee following its 28-7 victory over Alabama in the SEC Championship game on Dec. 6. The Bulldogs, who will be making their 13th Sugar Bowl appearance (tied for the second-most in history), will be the 97th conference champion to play in the Sugar Bowl in its 92-year history.
 
Ole Miss (12-1, 7-1 SEC), which posted the program's first-ever 11-win regular season this year, will be making its 11th trip to the Sugar Bowl (fourth most all-time) and its first since the 2021 season.
 
"We're excited to have two great schools with amazing football traditions, outstanding fan bases, and memorable histories with the Sugar Bowl," said Jeff Hundley, the chief executive officer of the Allstate Sugar Bowl. "We can't wait for the opportunity to show the schools and their fans a wonderful time in New Orleans as we add another chapter to the organization's exceptional history in postseason college football."
 
The Allstate Sugar Bowl will be doubling as a College Football Playoff (CFP) game for the sixth time since the CFP was established for the 2014 regular season. It has hosted four CFP Semifinals (2014, 2017, 2020, 2023) and one CFP Quarterfinal (2024); those five CFP games have combined for over 100 million worldwide viewers on ESPN's platforms.
 
The winner of this year's game will advance to the CFP Semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl. The CFP National Championship will be played on Monday, January 19, in Miami.
 
This season marks the second year of the 12-team format for the CFP. The four highest-ranked teams, including Georgia, are seeded one through four and have received first-round byes. The other eight teams played in the CFP First Round with the higher seeds hosting the lower seeds on campus.
 
The Ole Miss-Georgia series dates back to 1940 with the Bulldogs holding a 35-13-1 advantage all-time. The two schools have played seven times at sites that are considered neutral (Memphis, Atlanta, Jackson), but they have never met in a bowl game.
 
This year's Sugar Bowl will mark just the fourth time in its history that two SEC teams have squared off in the game – the previous three also involved Ole Miss. In the 1953 Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1), SEC Champion Georgia Tech earned a 24-7 victory over the Rebels, who were making their first major bowl appearance since 1936. On Jan. 1, 1960, the Rebels posted a 21-0 victory over LSU to avenge a regular season loss to the Tigers in a memorable Halloween night showdown. The Miller-Digby Award winner as the Most Outstanding Player of that 1960 game was Bobby Franklin, who will be inducted posthumously into the Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame on Jan. 1. Then in the 1964 Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1), Alabama took down Ole Miss in a 12-7 defensive battle despite the Crimson Tide not having its star quarterback Joe Namath who was suspended by Bear Bryant – that game is also memorable as it was played between snowbanks following the largest New Orleans snowfall since 1895.
 
As Georgia defeated Ole Miss, 43-35, on Oct. 18 this season, the Sugar Bowl will be a rematch of a regular season game for just the fourth time in its history. The first was the 1960 showdown between Ole Miss and LSU in which the Rebels gained revenge. The other two were battles between Florida and Florida State. In the 1994 season, the Gators and the Seminoles battled to a 31-31 tie in the regular season to set up the "Fifth Quarter in the French Quarter" at the Sugar Bowl (Jan. 2, 1995). In the 1997 Sugar Bowl (Jan. 2), Florida rolled to a 57-20 win over Florida State to avenge a 24-21 regular season loss and earn the national championship.
 
This year's Sugar Bowl will be the 35th edition of the game featuring 10-win teams and just the fifth involving a pair of 12-win teams. Of the 184 teams that have come to the Sugar Bowl, there have only been 18 12-win teams (including this year's pair).
 
This will be the 64th bowl appearance for Georgia; it has an all-time bowl mark of 38-22-3. Nine of those bowl appearances have come under the leadership of head coach Kirby Smart, who has posted a 7-2 bowl record in his 10 years at the helm of the Bulldogs. Ole Miss will be making its 42nd bowl appearance with an all-time mark of 25-15.
 
The Allstate Sugar Bowl has established itself as one of the premier college football bowl games, having hosted 29 national champions, 110 Hall of Fame players, 55 Hall of Fame coaches and 21 Heisman Trophy winners in its 91-year history. In addition to football, the Sugar Bowl Committee annually invests over $1 million into the community through the hosting and sponsorship of sporting events, awards, scholarships and clinics. Through these efforts, the organization supports and honors thousands of student-athletes each year, while injecting over $2.5 billion into the local economy in the last decade. For more information, visit www.AllstateSugarBowl.org.
 
 
College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl
January 1, 2026 – Caesars Superdome – New Orleans, La.
No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Ole Miss
 
Pregame Notes
 
Sweet Appearances
Georgia is making its 13th Sugar Bowl appearance with a record of 5-7. Only Alabama (17) has more Sugar Bowl appearances (LSU also has 13). Meanwhile, Ole Miss is making its 11th trip to the Sugar Bowl, a total that ranks fourth all-time. The Rebels have an all-time mark of 6-4 in the game.
 
Top Ten
This year's game marks the 63rd time that a pair of top 10 teams (based on AP Poll) have matched up in the Sugar Bowl. The first time was in the 1936 contest when No. 4 TCU topped No. 1 LSU, 3-2. The most recent time was last year's Allstate Sugar Bowl when No. 3 Notre Dame topped No. 2 Georgia, 23-10.
 
Champions
Georgia is the 97th conference champion to play in the Sugar Bowl in its 92-year history.
 
Double Digit Wins
This year's Sugar Bowl will be the 37th edition of the game featuring 10-win teams and just the 13th involving a pair of 11-win teams. Of the 184 teams that have come to the Sugar Bowl, there have only been 48 12-win teams (including this year's pair). Georgia recorded its 30th 10-win season in 2025 and Ole Miss wrapped up the 11th 10-win season in its history this season. This year was the first year in history that the Rebels posted 11 regular season victories. A Sugar Bowl victory would give Ole Miss its first 12-win season in its 120-year history.
 
Wins in the Last Four Years
Georgia has more wins than any other school since 2022 as it has posted a 51-5 (.911) record in the last four years. Ole Miss ranks ninth in the country in that same time frame with a 40-11 (.784) record.
 
Wins by FBS Teams (2023-26)
1. Georgia                        51 (51-5)
2. Ohio State                   48 (48-7)
3. Oregon                         46 (46-7) – prior to 12/20 game
4. Michigan                      45 (45-9)
5. Notre Dame                43 (43-11)
5. Alabama                       43 (43-11)
5. Tulane                           43 (43-13)
7. Texas                            42 (42-13)
9. Ole Miss                       41 (41-11)
10. Penn State                40 (40-14)
10. Washington              40 (40-14)
10. James Madison        40 (40-10) – prior to 12/20 game
 
SEC Showdown
This year's Sugar Bowl will mark just the fourth time in its history that two SEC teams have squared off in the game – the previous three also involved Ole Miss. In the 1953 Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1), SEC Champion Georgia Tech rolled to a 24-7 victory over the Rebels, who were making their first major bowl appearance since 1936. On Jan. 1, 1960, the Rebels posted a 21-0 victory over LSU to avenge a regular season loss to the Tigers in a memorable Halloween night showdown. The Miller-Digby Award winner as the Most Outstanding Player of that 1960 game was Bobby Franklin, who will be inducted posthumously into the Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame on Jan. 1. Then in the 1964 Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1), Alabama took down Ole Miss in a 12-7 defensive battle despite the Crimson Tide not having its star quarterback Joe Namath who was suspended by Bear Bryant – that game is also memorable as it was played between snowbanks following the largest New Orleans snowfall since 1895.
 
Rematch
As Georgia defeated Ole Miss, 43-35, on Oct. 18 this season, the Sugar Bowl will be a rematch of a regular season game for just the fourth time in its history. The first was the 1960 showdown between Ole Miss and LSU in which the Rebels gained revenge after a memorable loss on Halloween night in Baton Rouge. The other two were battles between Florida and Florida State. In the 1994 season, the Gators and the Seminoles battled to the 31-31 tie in the regular season to set up the "Fifth Quarter in the French Quarter" at the Sugar Bowl (Jan. 2, 1995). In the 1997 Sugar Bowl (Jan. 2), Florida rolled to a 57-20 win over Florida State to avenge a 24-21 regular season loss and to earn the national championship.
 
The Coaches
Ole Miss' Pete Golding will be the 107th head coach to lead his team into the Sugar Bowl. Kirby Smart, meanwhile, will be making his fourth appearance as a head coach in the game, tied for the seventh most appearances in Sugar Bowl history.
 
Bowling
Georgia will be making its 64th overall bowl appearance with an all-time record of 38-22-3. Nine of those bowl appearances have come under the direction of head coach Kirby Smart, who has posted a 7-2 bowl record in his 10 years at the helm of the Bulldogs. Ole Miss will be making its 42nd bowl appearance with an all-time mark of 25-15.
 
Random Stat History
In the first 91 editions of the Sugar Bowl, the higher-ranked team has posted a 53-37-1 record – however, over the past 46 years (since 1980), the lower-ranked teams have kept things nearly even at 22-23-1. This year's game will be the 13th Sugar Bowl to be played on a Thursday. For what it's worth, both Georgia and Ole Miss are 1-1 in Thursday Sugar Bowls.
 
Hall of Fame
The Allstate Sugar Bowl will introduce four legends as the seventh class of the Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame during the pregame of this year's Classic. The inaugural Hall of Fame class, introduced in 2017, was composed of 16 stars of the annual New Orleans football classic. This year's class of Hall of Famers includes three players who earned the Miller-Digby Award as the Most Outstanding Player in the Sugar Bowl and one College Football Hall of Famer
 
Allstate Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame – Class of 2026
Name                                  School                   Position                              Sugar Bowl(s)
Tom Clements                   Notre Dame          Quarterback                      1973
Bobby Franklin                  Ole Miss                Quarterback                      1960
Barry Krauss                      Alabama                Linebacker                         1978, 1979
Johnny Roland                  Missouri                 Halfback                             1966