The Rebels take their perfect record on the road for the first time this season, and the lights just got a whole lot brighter. No. 4 Ole Miss (3-0) heads down to The Swamp to face No. 21 Florida (3-0) on Saturday, September 26. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville. Two ranked, undefeated SEC teams in one national TV window — this is the kind of September Saturday that starts separating the contenders from the pretenders. Hotty Toddy.
The Matchup: Two Unbeatens Collide in Gainesville
Ole Miss rolls into Gainesville fresh off a 32-24 win over LSU that vaulted the Rebels all the way to No. 4 in the AP Top 25. Three games in, three wins, and a team that looks the part of a College Football Playoff hopeful. But this is the first true road test of the year, and there may not be a tougher place in the country to get it than a sold-out, sun-baked Swamp with a Florida team that finally has its swagger back. This one has “trap game” written all over it — except both of these teams are ranked, so nobody’s sneaking up on anybody.
Florida This Week: The Gators Are Back in the Poll
Don’t sleep on Florida. The Gators are 3-0 and cracked the AP Top 25 at No. 21 this week — their first ranking of the season — after going into Auburn and winning a 44-39 shootout on the road. First-year head coach Jon Sumrall has this program playing with real confidence, and quarterback Aaron Philo has looked comfortable steering an offense that has put up points in bunches (66 on Florida Atlantic, 52 on Campbell, 44 at Auburn). A ranked, undefeated Florida team defending home turf is a different animal than the one a lot of folks penciled in as a soft SEC road stop back in August.
What To Watch: Chambliss, Lacy and a Rebel Offense Humming
The engine of this Ole Miss team is an offense that keeps finding answers. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has been steady and dangerous, and running back Kewan Lacy — a Doak Walker Award favorite — gives Pete Golding’s group the kind of physical, chain-moving back you want when the crowd noise is at its loudest and you need to shorten the game. Lean on Lacy, stay ahead of the sticks, and let Chambliss pick his spots to receivers like Johntay Cook II, Deuce Alexander and Traylon Ray. If the Rebels can win first down and keep Florida’s home crowd out of it early, they control the tempo. Defensively, keeping Philo uncomfortable and slowing a Gator offense that hangs 40-plus is the whole assignment.
What It Means for Ole Miss
Make no mistake — this is a résumé game. A road win over a ranked, undefeated SEC opponent is exactly the kind of result that holds up in December when the Playoff committee starts sorting out the top four. Win in The Swamp and Ole Miss stays perfect, stays in the top five, and stamps itself as one of the handful of teams that can win anywhere. Come out flat and the Gators are more than good enough to make you pay. The Rebels have earned the ranking; Saturday is about proving it on the road. Get it done, and 4-0 with a marquee road scalp is a very good place to be. Hotty Toddy.
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