2026 Sugar Bowl


The 2026 Sugar Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2026, at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The 92nd annual Sugar Bowl was one of the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. The game began at approximately 8:00p.m. EST and was broadcast on ESPN. It was one of the 2025–26 bowl games concluding the 2025 FBS football season, with the winner advancing to the CFP semifinals. Sponsored by the Allstate insurance company, the game was officially known as the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
In a rematch of a Southeastern Conference regular-season game, the Ole Miss Rebels defeated the [2025 2025 Georgia Bulldogs football team|Georgia Bulldogs football team|Georgia Bulldogs], 39–34.

Background

The 2026 Sugar Bowl was a quarterfinal game for the College Football Playoff. Georgia was ranked third in the CFP rankings and, being one of the top four teams, received a first-round bye. The 11th seed, [2025 2025 Tulane Green Wave football team|Tulane Green Wave football team|Tulane], and 6th seed, [2025 2025 Ole Miss Rebels football team|Ole Miss Rebels football team|Ole Miss], competed for the other spot in the Sugar Bowl, with Ole Miss winning by a 41–10 score.

Teams

Georgia and Ole Miss met during a Southeastern Conference regular-season game, which Georgia won, 43–35. This was the first Sugar Bowl with two SEC teams since the 1964 edition, which also featured Ole Miss.

Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia began the season as the No. 5 ranked team in the AP Poll. The Bulldogs began the season with two wins over nonconference opponents Marshall and Austin Peay before earning their first SEC win of the season on the road against Tennessee. They returned home to face Alabama, losing 24–21, their first loss at home since 2019. The Bulldogs rebounded by soundly defeating [2025 2025 Kentucky Wildcats football team|Kentucky Wildcats football team|Kentucky] the following week and then knocking off rival Auburn on the road. They then outlasted Ole Miss 43–35, jumping to No. 5 in the AP Poll entering a bye week. Following the bye week, Georgia defeated rival Florida in Jacksonville and Mississippi State in Starkville. The Bulldogs then returned home for a two-game home stretch, including a 35–10 victory over Texas and a 35–3 win over Charlotte. In the final game of the regular season, Georgia defeated rival Georgia Tech, 16–9, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. In the 2025 SEC Championship Game, the Bulldogs avenged their lone loss to Alabama, defeating the Crimson Tide, 28–7, to become SEC champions and clinch an automatic bid to the College Football Playoff as one of the top five highest-ranked conference champions.
This was the 13th Sugar Bowl appearance for the Bulldogs, with a record of 5–7 in prior editions. The program's latest appearance in the Sugar Bowl was the 2025 game, losing to Notre Dame, 23–10. Georgia entered the game as the SEC champions, with a 12–1 record.

Ole Miss Rebels

Ole Miss began the season as the No. 21 ranked team in the AP Poll. The Rebels began the season with a 63–7 rout of Georgia State before earning their first SEC victory of the season on the road against Kentucky. After starting quarterback Austin Simmons was injured against Kentucky, Ferris State transfer Trinidad Chambliss was named the Rebels' starter moving forward. After outlasting Arkansas and soundly handling Tulane, Ole Miss faced undefeated LSU in the Magnolia Bowl. The Rebels prevailed 24–19 over the Tigers and vaulted to No. 4 in the AP Poll. Following a bye week, Ole Miss defeated Washington State before heading to Athens to face Georgia, where the Rebels were outlasted 43–35. Following their first defeat of the season, Ole Miss rebounded with a 34–26 road victory at Oklahoma. The Rebels then returned home for a three-game homestand that included victories over South Carolina, The Citadel, and Florida. Following their second bye week, Ole Miss faced off against rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl, with the Rebels winning 38–19. Two days following the Rebels' Egg Bowl victory, head coach Lane Kiffin announced his departure from the program to become the next head coach at LSU. After Kiffin's departure, the team announced that defensive coordinator Pete Golding would take over as the head coach for the College Football Playoffs. As the No. 6 seed in the playoffs, the Rebels rematched with Tulane, defeating the Green Wave, 41–10, to move on to the quarterfinals.
This was the 11th Sugar Bowl appearance for the Rebels, with a record of 6–4 in prior editions. The program's latest appearance in the Sugar Bowl was the 2022 game, losing to Baylor, 21–7. Ole Miss entered the game with a 12–1 record.

Game summary

Each team's opening drive ended with a punt, and Ole Miss scored first with Lucas Carneiro field goals of 55 and 56 yards, respectively, on their following two drives. After a second Georgia punt, the Bulldogs scored on a 12-yard Gunner Stockton touchdown rush early in the second quarter. Ole Miss retook the lead with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Trinidad Chambliss to Luke Hasz on the eighth play of their ensuing drive, and Georgia responded with a 12-play scoring drive over the following six and a half minutes which ended with another Stockton touchdown rush. The Georgia lead grew to nine points on Ole Miss's next drive as the result of a Kewan Lacy fumble, which was returned by Daylen Everette for a touchdown with 2:34 remaining in the half. No scoring took place on the final three possessions of the half, and Georgia entered halftime leading 21–12.
A Georgia punt and an Ole Miss turnover on downs began the third quarter, after which Georgia drove to the Rebels' 37-yard line but failed to score after Peyton Woodring's 55-yard field goal attempt was missed. The next three possessions all resulted in scoring: Georgia added a 37-yard Woodring field goal and Lacy rushed for touchdowns of 7 and 6 yards for Ole Miss. The Rebels opted to attempt a two-point conversion after the second Lacy score, which they converted on a pass from Chambliss to Harrison Wallace III, giving them a 27–24 lead. Following a Georgia turnover on downs at their own 23-yard line, Ole Miss scored in one play on a pass from Chambliss to Dae'Quan Wright to further extend their lead to ten points. Georgia scored on a pass from Stockton to Zachariah Branch two minutes later and forced an Ole Miss three-and-out to retake possession with 5:26 left in the game. They drove to the Ole Miss 6-yard line and tied the game at 34 on a 24-yard Woodring field goal. Ole Miss's final possession finished with a 47-yard Carneiro field goal, giving Ole Miss a three-point lead with six seconds left. On the ensuing kickoff return, a Georgia lateral hit the pylon, resulting in a safety and giving Ole Miss a 39–34 victory.

Statistics

StatisticOle MissGeorgia
First downs2223
First downs rushing78
First downs passing1311
First downs penalty24
Third down efficiency5–143–13
Fourth down efficiency1–22–3
Total plays–net yards73–47370–343
Rushing attempts–net yards27–11137–124
Yards per rush4.13.4
Yards passing362219
Pass completions–attempts30–4619–33
Interceptions thrown00
Punt returns–total yards0–02–23
Kickoff returns–total yards0–01–65
Punts–average yardage3–48.04–48.5
Fumbles–lost1–11–1
Penalties–yards4–484–38
Time of possession27:2832:32