For the first time in program history, the 4th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels will welcome the Cougars of Washington State to Vaught Hemingway Stadium for a Saturday morning cross-country showdown between the Pac-12 and the Southeastern Conference. This will be just the 8th time in their program history that Washington State will play a member of the Southeastern Conference, the first since 2013 when they travelled to the plains, where they lost to Auburn. 

For the 4th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels, Saturday against Washington State is all about fine-tuning things before hitting the road for two straight weeks of games against Georgia and Oklahoma. Wins in all three games, and not only would Ole Miss take the driver’s seat to reach Atlanta, but the Rebels would all but be bound for the College Football Playoff. All Ole Miss has to do this week is avoid a Kentucky-style loss from last season and take care of business against a vastly inferior Washington State team that has no business being on the same field as the Rebels. 

On the other side of that, you have a Washington State team coming into the Vaught Hemingway looking to shock the world while playing with house money as a 30-point underdog to Lane Kiffin and the boys. Washington State brings a three-and-two record to Oxford, with the three wins coming against Idaho, San Diego State, and Colorado State. Washington State struggles with explosive offenses. In the two losses to North Texas and Washington, the Cougars gave up 59 points each loss. In the six road games this season, Washington State will have travelled 16,578 miles. 

As far as the Rebels go, Ole Miss will likely see Trinidad Chambliss as the starter on Saturday against Washington State as Austin Simmons struggles to heal from an injury suffered earlier in the season. Ole Miss has one of the best problems a coach can have: depth. This is evident at quarterback, where Trinidad Chambliss has stepped in, captivating the Rebels Nation with his unique personality and natural skill set for the position. This is just one of those games for Ole Miss, where not only do they have too much talent, but the Rebels have too much for the Cougars to contend with on Saturday. Things might be close for a hot second, but the Rebels will likely cruise to an easy victory on Saturday as they turn the page to Georgia week. 

Ole Miss and Washington State will get underway on the SEC Network with a kickoff slated for 11:45. 

Photo Credits – Ole Miss football on X