Rebels get matched with Penn State in Peach Bowl

Ole Miss is headed to an access bowl the second time in three seasons.

The No. 11 Rebels (10-2) will face No. 10 Penn State in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl on December 30 at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN. It’s the Rebels’ fourth New Year’s Six appearance since 2014 joining two Sugar Bowls (2015 and 2021) and the 2014 Peach Bowl.

Ole Miss also beat Georgia Tech in the 1971 Peach Bowl.

This is the second time the Rebels have won 10 regular season games twice in program history, following the first in 2021, and the game against Penn State is a chance to win 11 total games for the first time.

Ole Miss’ two losses were to Alabama and Georgia. The Crimson Tide got in the College Football Playoff as the No. 4 seed, and Georgia is No. 6 after the SEC Championship loss. Ole Miss’ best win is No. 13 LSU.

Penn State is 10-2 with losses to Ohio State and Michigan. The Wolverines are the No. 1 seed in the CFP, Ohio State has only a loss to Michigan. The Nittany Lions’ best win is Big Ten division winner Iowa.

“Both the Rebels and the Nittany Lions have had outstanding seasons and we welcome them both to Atlanta,” said Bob Schuler, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl chairman. “It’s an honor to host both programs for their first-ever meeting in what should be an outstanding contest between two of the nation’s best teams.”

Ole Miss and Penn State have never met, and the Rebels have only faced a Big Ten team twice in school history — a 26-20 win over Indiana in the 2020 Outback Bowl and a 35-3 loss to Michigan in the 1991 Gator Bowl.

The College Football Playoff committee cleared the way for the Rebels by excluding undefeated Florida State from the playoff.

The ACC is guaranteed an Orange Bowl berth, so the Seminoles in Miami instead of Louisville allowed the No. 11 team to make an access bowl. The No. 12 spot automatically went to Liberty, the top ranked group of five team.

No. 12 Oklahoma was the highest ranked team left out of the New Year's Six.