NCAA Football BETTING PREVIEW - Miami Hurricanes @ Mississippi Rebels

NCAA Football

2026-01-08 - Miami Hurricanes at Mississippi Rebels

A Sports Betting Preview by FirstDown

Mississippi Rebels vs Miami Hurricanes
United States : College Football Semi Final
Thursday 8th January 2026 - Scheduled 7:30pm
12:30am (British Time)

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Preview

There will be some serious questions asked about the current format of the College Football Playoff after the lower Seed won three of the four Quarter Final games played. That follows the opening season when all four Quarter Final games were won by First Round winners and there is a real feeling that those higher Seeded teams are being hindered by having a Bye and competing against teams who have not had a significant layoff between the end of the regular season and those Quarter Final games.

Expansion is surely going to be coming up again and that would mean all teams likely to be involved in First Round action, but for now we have a final four and all will feel they are capable of winning the National Championship later this month.

First up on Thursday is the Number 6 Seed Mississippi Rebels playing the Number 10 Miami Hurricanes, although it is the latter who have been set as favourites.

This could be down to the fact that the Hurricanes have had two impressive wins in their run to the Semi Final against the Texas A&M Aggies and Ohio State Buckeyes, but the Rebels will point to the win over SEC Champion Georgia Bulldogs in the Quarter Final as a reason to believe.

Prior to that, the Rebels had blown out an overmatched Tulane Green Wave at home, while a few more Coaches have now headed off to join former Head Coach Lane Kiffin.

The decision made by Kiffin has not gone down very well with the Mississippi upper management and the fans, but it is telling that the players have used the departure as motivation. Some have voiced their irritation about the former Head Coach and antics they feel are trying to overshadow what the Rebels continue to achieve and that certainly has been fuelling the desire to keep this season going.

Mississippi showed there is so much to like about them in the upset over the Georgia Bulldogs and they will believe they have the Offensive unit to give the Miami Hurricanes plenty to think about. Of course there will be a huge amount of respect for the Hurricanes who have restricted the Aggies to 3 points and the Buckeyes to 14 points in earning back to back upset wins, although this time the Miami Hurricanes will be set as the favourites and that can change some of the mentality around a team.

So much is going to be decided by what happens when the Rebels have the ball.

For all of the impressiveness around the Miami victories, it is clear the Defensive unit have been dominant and the Offense has been doing just enough so the key here is whether the Mississippi Rebels can find enough time to give Quarter Back Trinidad Chambliss a chance to move the chains.

An 'easy' way would be to establish the run and the Rebels have had success doing that, but they have not yet tried to run on this Hurricanes Defensive Line. This has been a strength of the Miami team and they are big winners if they can force an opponent to throw the ball out of third and long spots.

Over the course of the season, the Miami pass rush has been impressive, but players have dialled it up several notches in the post-season and they are creating havoc up front.

Trinidad Chambliss has been given time by his Offensive Line when he has stepped back to throw the ball and that has allowed the Quarter Back to put together a couple of very strong showings. This battle at the Line of Scrimmage is going to be hugely decisive to the final outcome, especially as there have been some holes in the Miami Secondary that have been exposed when Quarter Backs had had just enough time to make their plays down the field.

It is certainly something Chambliss is going to believe he can do and this is also a Quarter Back capable of moving the pocket with his legs and escaping pressure. This is also very important for the underdog and the Rebels will be looking for Trinidad Chambliss to continue what has been a really impressive first season at this level of College Football.

Much like the other side of the ball, the Hurricanes have to know that running the ball is essential to any success they are going to have in this game.

However, the difference here is that the Miami Offensive Line has shown it can open up significant holes up front and the Mississippi Defensive Line has had a season-long struggle against the run. They have been a little better in the Playoffs, but the Rebels had one of those games against a Power 5 Conference Champion at home and the Hurricanes are going to pose significant challenges for them.

If they can put Carson Beck in third and manageable spots, Miami will be very confident that they can move the chains with some consistency and it is yet another key battle ground at the Line of Scrimmage.

However, there has been some inconsistency in the passing game for the Hurricanes and they are facing a Rebels team that have been able to get some pressure up front to rattle Quarter Backs. That has aided the Secondary and Carson Beck will need plenty of support to keep things going in this one, although the Hurricanes have rightly been set as favourites.

The expectation is that this is going to be a close and competitive game, but one where the Miami Hurricanes perhaps have the stronger success at the Line of Scrimmage on both sides of the ball. That should ultimately see Miami pass the Mississippi Rebels, but Trinidad Chambliss is unlikely to roll over without a fight and that makes having the hook over a key number most appealing.

If it is going to end in a big win, the Hurricanes perhaps have the power to do that, but Chambliss and the Rebels are playing with real motivation right now and they can make sure this competitive for the full sixty minutes and perhaps even pull yet another upset.

Prediction

Take the points with the underdog in this big Playoff Semi Final.

The Pick :

Mississippi Rebels 20-23 Miami Hurricanes

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

I'll back Mississippi Rebels + 3.5 Points at -115 with Bovada