Ole Miss Football: Peach Bowl preview and odds vs Penn State
The NY6 bowls are set to start with the Cotton Bowl between Missouri and Ohio State tonight. Ole Miss will kick off tomorrow's action in the Peach Bowl against Penn State.
Both teams will have a key part of their defensive line missing for the game in Atlanta. Rebels Cedric Johnson had opted out to focus on the NFL Draft, as has Penn State's Chop Robinson. Despite the two losses to the teams, the game will still be full of talent.
Ole Miss loves to run the ball to establish the passing game, as do the Nittany Lions. However, both teams can quite easily heavily focus on passing the ball, with two talented quarterbacks. The Rebels have Jaxson Dart, who in his third season as a college player, has shown drastic improvement to his game. Penn State have sophomore Drew Allar, who will complete his first season as a starter.
Both quarterbacks will come up against good secondarys, with Penn State's one of the best in college football, headed by cornerback Kalen King. Ole Miss may not have high-quality defensive backs. However, they still have some ball hawks ready to make it difficult for Allar.
One position group that Ole Miss are stronger at than their opponents is at receiver. It will be the last game Tre Harris, Jordan Watkins and Dayton Wade suit up together in. Wade will head off to the NFL after the game.
There will be decisions to be made after the game for Jaxson Dart and Quinshon Judkins, who are still yet to commit to where their future lies. Penn State have some players heading to the 2024 NFL Draft. Kalen King and Olu Fashanu will likely be first-day picks.
Expect the game to be a high-scoring one, with both teams averaging over 30 points per game in their regular season games.
Things you need to know for the Peach Bowl:
Start time and how to watch:
Saturday, Dec. 30th
Kickoff time is set for 11:00 a.m. CST/12:00 p.m. EST
TV at ESPN
Betting Odds:
The Rebels are currently sitting at +4.5 point underdogs.
The total is set at 48.5 points