Georgia
Ole Miss faces must-win matchup against No. 3 Georgia to keep playoff hopes alive – SuperTalk Mississippi
The initial College Football Playoff rankings of the 2024-25 season were released on Tuesday, and while No. 16 Ole Miss was not featured among the 12 teams projected to compete for a national championship, Lane Kiffin’s Rebels have an opportunity to make waves this weekend.
A must-win matchup versus America’s No. 3 program, Georgia (7-1, 5-1 SEC), will unfold in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday at 2:30 p.m., and Ole Miss (7-2, 3-2 SEC) has one objective to remain hopeful of the prospects of making a playoff debut this year — win.
Last year, a win at Georgia would have given Ole Miss a legitimate shot at being a playoff contender, given the Rebels ran the table after a brutal 52-17 loss in Athens and went on to post their first 11-win season in history.
After that blowout defeat, Kiffin and company made it their mission to use the Grove Collective — the Ole Miss-exclusive name, image, and likeness program — to retain a strong nucleus of veteran talent, pluck some of the most coveted players from the transfer portal, and add a solid crop of newcomers from the high school ranks.
Ole Miss, after receiving a multi-million dollar level of support from fans, delivered in all three phases and constructed arguably the best roster in program history. That roster now has its back against the wall with two nasty scars from earlier defeats, but also a chance to author future history.
“If they beat Georgia, they will be in the top 12 next week,” Bill Bender from Sporting News said on SportsTalk Mississippi. “They’ll leapfrog (No. 11) Alabama, probably. It’ll be close, but I think they would because [the playoff selection committee] would honor that Georgia victory just the same.”
The upcoming battle in Oxford could seemingly lessen the blow of a week five home loss to a Kentucky team that is winless since its contest against the Rebels as well as a heartbreaking three-point defeat in overtime at LSU.
Sandwiched between the Kentucky and LSU games was a promising 27-3 win at South Carolina. After the loss in Death Valley, Ole Miss regrouped in a bye week and displayed defensive dominance in a 26-14 victory against Oklahoma. The Rebels then ended a 16-year curse by trouncing Arkansas on the road 63-31 in a historic offensive outing.
Though the Bulldogs are certainly anticipated to pose a much bigger threat than the Sooners and Razorbacks, Ole Miss appears to be peaking at the right time.
“If you look at their scoring offense and scoring defense, you kind of shake your head and wonder how they have lost a game,” Bender added. “This is a really good football team with the most efficient quarterback in the SEC. They have a lot of things the committee likes.”
With rain in the forecast at game time in Oxford, all signs point to Saturday’s battle coming down to efficiency. Since neither squad has been able to run the ball effectively for the most part this year, it looks like the passing game will be the difference offensively.
That may give Ole Miss fans a sense of relief, given Jaxson Dart has been the most efficient quarterback in the SEC, and has especially shined in the last couple of weeks.
The veteran quarterback tossed for a collective 826 yards and seven touchdowns in his two previous SEC outings. This feat was accomplished without standout receiver Tre Harris on the field. Harris is expected to give it a go against the Bulldogs, sources tell SuperTalk Mississippi News.
Georgia’s Carson Beck, on the other hand, has had a tough time refraining from giving the other team the ball. In the past five games, Beck has thrown more interceptions (11) than touchdowns (10).
However, offensive line play could ultimately be a determining factor in who gets the win. Dart has looked more impressive than Beck this season, but the Bulldogs’ field general has had a cleaner pocket. Dart has been sacked 19 times this season compared to 10 dropdowns of Beck.
For Ole Miss to emerge victorious on Saturday, its makeshift and injury-ridden offensive front must stand tall against a ferocious defensive line. Likewise, Pete Golding’s defense will have a golden opportunity to force a trigger-happy Beck to turn the ball over and place the Rebels in favorable field position.
A successful defensive outing by the Rebels would not come as any surprise as the unit is responsible for a collective 18 sacks in the last two games and have wreaked havoc in the backfield. JJ Pegues, Walter Nolen, Jared Ivey, and Princely Umanmielen have proven to be more than formidable in the trenches as linebackers TJ Dottery, Suntarine Perkins, and Chris “Pooh” Paul, Jr. have held opposing offenses at bay.
Georgia’s shortcomings aside, the Bulldogs have not backed down since the team’s week four loss at Alabama. Kirby Smart’s crew has won each of its last four games, one of which occurred at then- No. 1 Texas, by double-digits.
Ole Miss is not able to afford another loss and Georgia is historically stingy when it comes to losing in recent years, paving the way for what may be an epic showdown between two hungry teams, each led by a Nick Saban disciple.
As things stand, the SEC is slated to have four teams in the first-ever 12-team playoff, meaning Ole Miss may need a little help even if the Rebels run the table. And that aid appears to be built into the schedules of other programs sitting ahead of Kiffin’s squad in the rankings.
On Saturday night, the highly-anticipated matchup between No. 11 Alabama (6-2, 3-2 SEC) and No. 15 LSU (6-2, 3-1 SEC) will ensure a third overall loss and an additional conference defeat for both squads, likely ending any hopes of a playoff appearance. A loss for the Tigers would likely place a major roadblock on Brian Kelly’s team’s path to the SEC Championship, which would keep LSU from possibly jumping Ole Miss for a playoff spot due to the head-to-head advantage.
In the event Ole Miss beats Georgia, the Bulldogs’ November 16 battle against No. 7 Tennessee (7-1, 4-1 SEC) would have the potential to essentially take Smart’s squad out of the playoff equation or blemish the Volunteers’ overall record.
Another future contest to keep an eye on, assuming Ole Miss has won out at this point, will take place in College Station with No. 15 Texas A&M (7-2, 5-1 SEC) hosting bitter rival No. 5 Texas (7-1, 3-1 SEC). A third loss for the Aggies, assuming they are not upset beforehand, would probably be the nail in their playoff appearance coffin.
Regardless, all future games will bear little-to-no significance if the Rebels can’t find a win on Saturday. Ole Miss versus Georgia will be broadcast on ABC and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations. The Bulldogs are currently a 2.5-point favorite.
After months of campaigning, the 2026 primary elections in Georgia are on Tuesday, with hundreds of contests for statewide and local office taking place across the Peach State.
Voters in every precinct will have a distinct ballot, depending on what races are in play where they live.
With the number of candidates and hotly contested races up for grabs this year, many voters have said the primary ballot is one of the longest they’ve seen.
How to tell which races will be on your local Georgia ballot
So how do you know what races will be on your ballot before you head to your local polling place? It’s easier than you might think.
One way is to use the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page. Once logged in with your name, county, and date of birth, you can click a link to see your sample ballot and update your voter information. You can also see where you can cast your vote and your voter registration info.
You can also check your county election department, which will have links to see the Democratic, nonpartisan, and Republican sample ballots.
Statewide races will be on every voter’s ballot, like the primaries for governor, lieutenant governor, and U.S. senator. Most other races are dependent on the county or legislative district.
The different races included in the Georgia primary election
- U.S. Senate
- U.S. House of Representatives
- Governor
- Lieutenant Governor
- Secretary of State
- Attorney General
- Commissioner of Agriculture
- Commissioner of Insurance
- State School Superintendent
- Commissioner of Labor
- Public Service Commissioner District 3 and 5
- State Senate
- State House
- Countywide officers
- Georgia Supreme Court (two seats)
- State and county courts
Georgia U.S. Senate primaries
Incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is running unopposed and will face one of five challengers aiming to bring the seat back into Republican hands: Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter, Rep. Mike Collins, John F. Coyne III, Derek Dooley, and Jonathan “Jon” McColumn.
Georgia Congressional primaries
All 14 of Georgia’s U.S. House districts are on the ballot this year. Here are some of the metro Atlanta races CBS News Atlanta will be watching closely.
Primaries for Georgia governor
Primaries for Georgia lieutenant governor
- Democratic primary for Georgia lieutenant governor
- Republican primary for Georgia lieutenant governor
Primaries for Georgia secretary of state
- Democratic primary for Georgia secretary of state
- Republican primary for Georgia secretary of state
Primaries for Georgia attorney general
- Democratic primary for Georgia attorney general
- Republican primary for Georgia attorney general
Other statewide primaries in Georgia
Here are some other contested statewide primaries we are watching:
- Democratic primary for Georgia insurance commissioner
- Democratic primary for Georgia agriculture commissioner
- Republican primary for Georgia state school superintendent
- Democratic primary for Georgia state school superintendent
- Democratic primary for Georgia labor commissioner
- Republican primary for Georgia Public Service commissioner Districts 3 and 5
- Democratic primary for Georgia Public Service commissioner Districts 3 and 5
Georgia State Senate and State House primaries
All 56 of the Georgia State Senate districts and all 180 seats of the Georgia State House of Representatives are up for election in 2026.
Primaries for Georgia courts
Primaries for both statewide and county courts are on the ballot this year. These elections are nonpartisan and all candidates will appear on both ballots
- Three Georgia Supreme Court judges
- Five Court of Appeals judges
- County superior court judges
- State court judges
Political party ballot questions
Both the Georgia Republican and Democratic parties include ballot questions in their primary elections. The questions are non-binding, but advise the parties on what to include in their platforms. This year, the Republicans have eight questions and the Democrats have two.
As an example, Question 1 on the Republican ballot asks: “Should Georgia enact the strongest election integrity measures possible, which may include hand marked paper ballots, fines for counties that refuse to maintain current voter rolls, and restrictions on no-excuse absentee voting to restore trust in elections?”
Question 1 on the Democratic ballot asks: “Should the State of Georgia raise the sales tax on everyday items like clothing, food, and school supplies to pay for an income tax cut that would make millionaires and billionaires richer?”
Voters mark yes or no on each question.
As temperatures rise across Georgia, cooling costs are also expected to climb this summer. The Georgia Public Service Commission is set to hear one of Georgia Power’s proposed agreements aimed at saving customers money on their power bills.
Georgia Power says its proposed agreements could save the typical customer about $4 a month if approved by the commission.
The proposals involve two separate cases before the PSC. One focuses on fuel costs used to operate power plants, while the second deals with storm recovery costs tied to Hurricane Helene.
Georgia Power and the PSC’s Public Interest Advocacy Staff recently reached agreements in both cases. If approved, the company says the typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month could save about $4.04 per month or nearly $50 per year beginning in June.
The proposal comes as a new national report from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association and the Center for Energy Poverty and Climate projects cooling costs could rise about 8.5% nationwide this year. The report says hotter temperatures and increased energy demand are helping drive costs higher.
Reliable Heating and Air said it is already seeing an increase in service calls across metro Atlanta as more people start using their air conditioning systems.
HVAC experts said homeowners should watch for warning signs, including strange noises, weak airflow, homes cooling slowly or higher-than-normal power bills.
“Biggest mistake they make is not getting a system maintenance,” said Joshua Kelly with Reliable Heating and Air. “A lot of people feel like, ‘Oh no, I don’t have to get maintenance,’ but you most definitely do.”
Experts recommend changing air filters regularly, scheduling maintenance checks, keeping thermostats between 74 and 77 degrees on hot days and addressing airflow problems early.
Resources for Georgia families needing help with cooling costs:
- Georgia LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) — Helps eligible low-income households pay heating and cooling bills and may assist during energy emergencies.
- United Way 211 — Connects families with local resources, including utility assistance programs, emergency financial help and community services.
- Partnership for Community Action — Offers utility assistance, energy support programs and other services for eligible families in metro Atlanta.
- Local Community Action Agencies — Many agencies across Georgia provide emergency utility assistance, payment support and additional family resources during extreme heat and high energy demand periods.
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