Two teams that were left for dead to start the college football playoff will collide on Thursday in the Fiesta Bowl as the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes (12-2) take on the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels (13-1).
Miami was the last team included in this year’s playoff bracket, a nod to the Hurricanes’ early-season win over Notre Dame. They’ve repaid the committee’s faith in the ACC school, defeating Texas A&M and Ohio State en route to their semi-final appearance.
Ole Miss was one of the SEC’s best schools this season, but the departure of head coach Lane Kiffin made the Rebels a long-shot bet to advance this far. After drubbing Tulane for a second time this season, Ole Miss avenged its only loss of the year by defeating Georgia to earn its spot in this game.
Which Cinderella run will advance to the national championship game? We’ll cover that and provide bettors with our top three player props for the Fiesta Bowl.
If the Heisman voting were held after the championship game, Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss may be the front-runner. This season, the former Division II signal-caller has completed over 66 percent of his passes for 3,660 yards, 21 touchdowns, and three interceptions.
He’s also dangerous on the ground, having rushed for 520 yards on 128 carries and scoring eight times for the Rebels. He should add to those numbers this week as Miami’s defense is surrendering chunks of passing yards each game. That’s one reason why Chambliss is a strong bet to surpass his passing yards prop total on Thursday.
After going off in his last two regular-season games – finishing with 25 receptions for 272 yards and two touchdowns – Miami’s Malachi Toney returned to Earth in the playoffs.
The freshman receiver has just 10 receptions for 38 yards combined in both postseason games. Still, he has notched 94 receptions for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns in his first collegiate season.
Ole Miss has a good defense, but the Rebels are vulnerable against strong receivers. In their past six games, at least one receiver has finished with more than 65 yards. Toney is definitely Miami’s top target, so bettors should expect him to eclipse 60 yards and cover this prop bet.
Ole Miss isn’t in this game without Kewan Lacy. The running back has 295 carries for 1,464 yards and 23 rushing touchdowns. And he excelled last week against Georgia, notching 98 yards on 22 carries, scoring two touchdowns in the process.
This week’s test is a little tougher. Miami’s run defense has been elite in 2025. Last week, the Hurricanes held Ohio State to 45 yards on 24 carries, but that is deceiving as the Buckeyes lost 42 rushing yards due to quarterback Julian Sayin taking five big sacks in the game.
Ohio State running backs Bo Jackson and C.J. Donaldson finished with 86 yards on 18 carries, but neither had more than 55 rushing yards. Only one back this season has eclipsed 83 rushing yards on the Hurricanes, and that was in their upset loss to Louisville. Expect Miami to continue that trend by focusing on Lacy, keeping him from covering this player prop.
Miami has been on a mission this season. Despite a mid-season slump in losses to Louisville and SMU, the Hurricanes have proven its one of the best teams in the country by defeating Texas A&M and Ohio State with hard-nosed defensive play.
This is the game where the dysfunction on the Ole Miss coaching staff finally catches up with the Rebels. Expect Miami to run the football and control this game from the jump, winning by at least a touchdown over the Rebels on Thursday.
The promotional offer is valid between 1/5/2026 at 12:00 AM Eastern Time (ET) and 1/25/2026 at 11:59 PM ET (the “Promotional Period”). Must be physically located in AZ, CO, CT, DC, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA (select parishes), MA, MD, ME, MI, MO, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA, VT, WY or WV (each an “Eligible Jurisdiction” or, collectively, the “Eligible Jurisdictions”). Must be 21+ years of age or older (18+ if in DC/KY/NH/WY). New customers only. Any customer who is found to be ineligible to play on DraftKings (i.e., by way of self-exclusion from gambling, restriction due to employment, or otherwise) may not participate in this Promotion and immediately forfeits any bonus rewards which have been awarded under this Promotion. Customers who have previously redeemed a pre-launch offer in a new jurisdiction are ineligible for this Promotion.