OXFORD, Miss. — Oxford turns its attention to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday night, when the tenth-ranked Rebels welcome the second-ranked Bulldogs in a Week 10 SEC showdown that carries College Football Playoff weight for both programs.
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. Central. The Rebels are trying to keep control of their own postseason path after the first CFP rankings arrived Tuesday, and a home win over the Bulldogs would be the loudest statement of Pete Golding’s season.
Georgia arrives as a national title contender that has already shown it can lose. Auburn knocked the Bulldogs off in a 27-24 upset, with quarterback Byrum Brown rushing 26 times for 115 yards and scoring once. That blueprint — a dual-threat quarterback stressing Georgia’s defense — is exactly what Ole Miss hopes Trinidad Chambliss can recreate.
Chambliss rediscovered his legs last week against Auburn, finishing with 65 yards on the ground plus a 26-yard scoring dash once Auburn trimmed the lead to 17-15. Golding’s staff wants that same or larger ground threat Saturday, both because the Rebels offense is sharper when Chambliss runs and because Georgia has struggled with mobile quarterbacks this fall.
The available backfield will be thinner without star running back Kewan Lacy. The junior stays sidelined by a shoulder issue for a third consecutive week and sits among nine Rebels unavailable for the home date. Lacy has 78 carries for 388 yards and five touchdowns and has not played since the Oct. 24 loss at Texas.
There is better news on the defensive side of the availability sheet. Luke Ferrelli, nursing an ankle issue, and Jalyn Crawford, dealing with a shoulder, both show as probable after light duty against Auburn. Left tackle Terez Davis already returned last week, restoring a piece of the offensive line.
Ole Miss has already absorbed losses to Florida and Texas. A third defeat would tighten the window on an SEC title-game path and another 12-team playoff run. Georgia, ranked No. 2, faces what may be its last truly hostile road test before the stretch run, with Ole Miss sitting at No. 10 in the first CFP poll.
For fans packing the Grove and the stadium bowl in Oxford, Saturday is the biggest home date of the year: a top-10 Rebels team, a top-two visitor, and a night kickoff that will reshape both November calendars.
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