Ole Miss fans, the time you’ve all been waiting a lifetime for is just about upon us as Wednesday rears the beauty of what’s to come this weekend for the community of Oxford, and the national spotlight on the entire state of Mississippi. As it stands, the expectations are that the College Football Playoff weekend will bring over $ 74 million to the city of Oxford in hotel, restaurant, and other revenue streams, all because the Rebels are finally in the College Football Playoff. 

With this level of excitement, it’s often hard for teams not to get lost in the shuffle, but from the surface, it feels as if Coach Pete Golding has his guys ready to run through a brick wall while playing for the name across the front of the uniform. With just three sleeps remaining until game day in the Sip, all the pieces are starting to come together for a special weekend, one that will be told about for generations to come. Sure, a win would add icing to the cake and would be the fitting start to a hopeful National Championship run, but Ole Miss has already done this season what nobody outside of the program thought possible for Ole Miss. 

Now, you combine that with a hungry group of guys looking to take one game at a time on the route to finishing the mission of the 2025 Ole Miss Rebels by winning a national championship, and you get this special out-of-the-world feeling heading into the weekend. Facing a team that you beat once already this season will be no easy feat, and despite the double-digit odds in favor of Ole Miss, Saturday has the potential to be a dog fight as the Rebels navigate a tricky matchup, combined with the aura of playing in a College Football Playoff, but make no mistake Coach Golding his guys ready and up for the challenge on Saturday. 

Now for Tulane, like Ole Miss, you’ve earned the spotlight. Despite what the national media has said or will continue to say, the Green Wave have put in the time, and they’re deserving of the spotlight this weekend as well. Going 11-2, 7,-1 in conference and winning the best Group Of Five conference in America is something to celebrate and really is enough to etch into the folklore of college football history without even playing a snap in the College Football Playoffs. There will be some who say the Green Wave doesn’t belong, but winning 11 games and dominating your conference is a worthy seat at the College Football Playoff. 

Like their adversaries this weekend, Tulane fans have longed for the moment when Green Wave Football had a seat at the table. They knocked off USC in the Cotton Bowl in 2023 and now have a revenge opportunity on Saturday against Ole Miss. No matter what happens for Tulane on Saturday, this Green Wave team has forever changed Tulane football for generations to come. 

On either side of this, as this time seems to stand still for the next three days, it’s important to embrace the moment and control what you can control and let the rest happen the way it’ll happen.

There’s nothing quite like playing in your first-ever College Football Playoff game, either as a fan, a player, a coach, or support staff. Just take a second to breathe and enjoy the moment because both programs have gone through so much to have this chance at winning a national championship. Another College Football Playoff appearance might come, but none will be as special as the first time. Embrace it. 

Photo Credits – Tulane and Ole Miss football on X