Ole Miss Rebels vs. Penn State Nittany Lions Peach Bowl Named Top-5 Matchup of Postseason

The Ole Miss Rebels and Penn State Nittany Lions are among the most-anticipated bowl matchups this postseason.
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The No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels are in the midst of bowl season, preparing to face the No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Dec. 30.

While Ole Miss fans are certainly excited to be featured in this season's New Year's Six bowl game field, it appears the rest of the country is in that boat as well. According to a piece published this week by Yahoo! Sports, this season's Peach Bowl is a top-five matchup in bowl season.

You can read an excerpt from the piece below.

5. Peach Bowl (Dec. 30, Noon, ESPN)

  • Ole Miss (10-2) vs. Penn State (10-2)

Lane Kiffin’s creative Ole Miss offense will present a challenge for a stout Penn State defense. We’re betting Ole Miss will have a few trick plays. We’re also looking forward to seeing what the Penn State offense looks like with weeks of bowl prep. After parting ways with coordinator Mike Yurcich following an ugly offensive showing against Michigan, the Nittany Lions scored 69 points and rushed for over 500 yards in the final two games of the regular season.

Pylons carry the Peach Bowl logo in the end zone during the third quarter of the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. A last-minute field goal sealed a 24-21 win for the Bulldogs, leaving the Bearcats 9-1 on the season. Cincinnati Bearcats Vs Georgia Bulldogs Peach Bowl
Pylons carry the Peach Bowl logo in the end zone during the third quarter of the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. A last-minute field goal sealed a 24-21 win for the Bulldogs, leaving the Bearcats 9-1 on the season. Cincinnati Bearcats Vs Georgia Bulldogs Peach Bowl / © Sam Greene via Imagn Content Services, LLC

The only bowl games listed as more anticipated were the two College Football Playoff semifinal games, the Orange Bowl and the Cotton Bowl.

All of the New Year's Six bowl games have intriguing storylines this season. For example, how will the Georgia Bulldogs and Florida State Seminoles react to being left out of the CFP field and participating in the Orange Bowl? Can the Missouri Tigers take down the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl? And who will come home with the national title?

For Ole Miss, the primary storyline is the opportunity to capture 11 wins in a single season for the first time in program history. The Rebels have now won 10 regular season games twice all-time (both of which came under current head coach Lane Kiffin), but the goal now is to surpass that mark.

'We Have a Goal to Do Better!' Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss Aim For Strong Finish in NY6 Bowl Game

Kickoff in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 30 is set for 11 a.m. CT in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and the game will be televised on ESPN.


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John Macon Gillespie
JOHN MACON GILLESPIE

John Macon Gillespie is the publisher of The Grove Report and has experience on the Ole Miss beat spanning five years.