Florida
In-Game Updates: Ole Miss Football Continues Playoff Quest vs. Florida in Gainesville
The No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels have reinserted themselves into the College Football Playoff conversation, but in order to remain there, they have to win their final two regular season games, beginning on Saturday against the Florida Gators.
The Rebels (8-2, 4-2 SEC) have won three straight games since their overtime loss to LSU in Baton Rouge on Oct. 12, and after a bye week that followed a huge win over the Georgia Bulldogs, Ole Miss appears to be as healthy as it’s been all season entering this game against the Gators.
Running back Logan Diggs (who looked like he might see his first action as a Rebel this week after suffering an ACL injury last season with LSU) will not suit up in this game, but wide receiver Tre Harris is returning, and the Ole Miss defensive line appears to have a clean bill of health, according to the latest injury report from the Southeastern Conference.
According to the current betting odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, Ole Miss is a 12.5-point favorite in Saturday’s game against Florida. Can the Rebels pull off the road win and remain in the CFP hunt? Follow along below for in-game updates from the contest in Gainesville set to kick off at 11 a.m. CT.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
PREGAME
As noted above, Ole Miss is rather healthy entering this contest, outside of the running back position. Wide receiver Izaiah Hartrup and running backs Henry Parrish Jr., Logan Diggs and Rashad Amos are listed as “out” in this contest, but no other Rebel made the latest injury report. That’s a good sign for Lane Kiffin’s team as it enters a hostile road environment.
It was also announced on Thursday night that Ole Miss will be using one of its road uniform combinations for the third time this season: powder blue helmets, white jerseys and white pants. This particular combination with the new white jerseys has only been worn twice all-time (both of which resulted in wins during the 2024 campaign).
You can view the uniform below modeled by cornerback Trey Amos.
Iced out on the road ❄️#DripInTheSip | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/4Pada6aYWg
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) November 22, 2024
Archive photos show a sea of green in Florida. What usually causes harmful algal blooms along the Sunshine State’s coasts?
Harmful algal blooms — out-of-control colonies of microscopic algae — are a “growing problem” in every “U.S. coastal and Great Lakes state,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
They affect the “health of people and marine ecosystems,” and can also have a detrimental effect on the economy, according to NOAA, especially in coastal communities that are particularly dependent on fishing and tourism.
Climate change, along with increases in nutrient pollution, could cause harmful algal blooms (HABs) to occur more frequently, according to the agency.
Harmful algal blooms can “produce toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals and birds,” NOAA’s website states. Human illnesses caused by HABs are rare, but they can be “debilitating or even fatal.”
Sea of green? Aerial photos show toxic algae blooms, including in Florida waters
What are harmful algal blooms composed of?
Harmful algal blooms can be caused by a range of organisms, NOAA states, including “toxic and noxious phytoplankton, cyanobacteria, benthic algae, and macroalgae.”
Some HABs can make wildlife-killing toxins that negatively affect fish, mammals and birds, and can also cause human sickness or death in “extreme cases.” Other blooms, while nontoxic, can consume “all of the oxygen in the water as they decay, clog the gills of fish and invertebrates, or smother corals and submerged aquatic vegetation.” Additionally, some algae can discolor water, pile up on beaches or contaminate drinking water.
What usually causes harmful algal blooms along Florida’s coasts?
In the Gulf of Mexico, especially along the west coast of Florida, HABs are most often caused by Karenia brevis, which can turn the surface of the ocean a deep red.
Although there’s no way to predict exactly when a Karenia brevis overgrowth might occur, scientists can forecast the movement of a “red tide” when it does crop up by using wind and water data, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
They can last “as little as a few weeks or longer than a year,” and how long a bloom persists in “nearshore Florida waters” depends on a variety of factors, including nutrients, salinity and sunlight, reads the FWC’s website.
Sarah Perkel is a South Florida Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network’s Florida Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
EA Sports released its official team ratings for College Football 27, and the Florida Gators checked in at No. 19 with an 84 overall rating.
Jon Sumrall’s team was granted an 84 offensive rating and a 83 defensive rating, indicating balance on both sides of the ball. Florida is one of 10 SEC programs to crack the top 25. Oregon leads the field with an overall rating of 91. The Ducks are followed by Ohio State (90), Indiana (90), Notre Dame (89) and Texas (89). UF joins nine other SEC teams rated inside the top 25.
The rating continues a major thrust of positive sentiment around Sumrall and the Gators. During this offseason, Florida has been pegged as a CFB playoff dark horse, an SEC wild card and one of sport’s biggest sleepers. The valuation is likely fueled by the Orange and Blue’s transfer portal additions and the retention of key pieces, including junior running back Jadan Baugh, who notched Second-Team All-SEC honors last season.
Sumrall’s cultural reset in Gainesville has started a buzz around college football that has continued to grow louder by the month. Despite a massive roster overhaul and the departure of a five-star quarterback, the Gators have seen a jolt in their national perception.
To reestablish a championship standard, UF will have to navigate an arduous nine-game conference schedule. The Gators face No. 17-rated Missouri (85) in Week 5, No. 5-rated Texas (89) in Week 7, No. 9-rated Georgia (87) in Week 8 and No. 10-rated Oklahoma (87) in Week 9.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
RIVERVIEW, Fla. (CBS12) — A Florida man was arrested after investigators linked him to a fatal fentanyl overdose that occurred in December.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded Dec. 29, 2025, to a home on Balm Boyette Road in Riverview, where they discovered the body of a woman identified as 43-year-old Grace Remington. Investigators determined she died from a fentanyl overdose.
See also: Man killed, grandson arrested after family dispute leads to quadruple shooting in PBC
According to the sheriff’s office, the investigation revealed that Aaron Lee Morris had delivered the fentanyl to Remington before her death. Toxicology results showed a fatal amount of the drug in her system.
On Tuesday, HCSO’s Opioid Overdose Investigation Section arrested Morris, 46, and charged him with first-degree murder resulting from the unlawful distribution of a controlled substance.
“Fentanyl continues to destroy lives and devastate families in our community,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “If you choose to distribute this deadly poison, you will be held accountable for the lives lost as a result of your actions.”
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