No. 11 Football Accepts Invite to Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports

For the second time in the last three years, Ole Miss football and Lane Kiffin are headed to a New Year’s Six bowl. 

The 11th-ranked Rebels (10-2, 6-2 SEC) have officially accepted an invitation to play in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, in Atlanta, on Dec. 30, 2023. Ole Miss will face No. 10 Penn State (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten), at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, at 11 a.m. CT. on ESPN.

This will mark Ole Miss’ fourth New Year’s Six appearance in the College Football Playoff era; tied for the eighth-most in FBS and the third-most in the SEC behind only Alabama and Georgia.

“We look forward to building on our rich bowl legacy with another appearance in the New Year’s Six at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl,” said Keith Carter, Ole Miss Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics. “This invitation is continued validation of the upwards trajectory of our program under Coach Kiffin’s leadership. We are excited to finish this record-breaking campaign on a high note and carry this momentum forward.

“Rebel Nation never misses a party, and I fully expect Ole Miss to be well represented in Atlanta. I hope our fans, staff and student-athletes enjoy a memorable experience this postseason.”

“We are excited to return to the New Year’s Six and represent our university and the SEC in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl,” Kiffin said. “Our team looks forward to competing against a premier program like Penn State with the opportunity to rewrite the Ole Miss record book. We’re proud of what our players and staff have accomplished this season, and this game provides another step in the championship growth of our program.”

Ole Miss’ all-time bowl record stands at 24-15, excluding a vacated victory in the 2013 BBVA Compass Bowl. The Rebels lead the SEC and rank third in the NCAA in bowl win percentage at .632. Elsewhere in the bowl record book, Ole Miss is 15th nationally in bowl wins (24) and 20th in bowl appearances (41). 

Ole Miss is 12-3 in its last 15 bowl games, including a streak of six straight victories from 2002 to 2013. This will mark Ole Miss’ third appearance in the Peach Bowl, having faced Georgia Tech in 1971 and then TCU in 2014. 

Ole Miss, (10-2, 6-2 SEC) ranks No. 11 in the College Football Playoff and is seeking its first 11-win season in program history. The Rebels sport one of the nation’s most prolific offensive units, ranking top-20 in scoring offense (34.8 points per game) and total offense (455.4 yards per game). 

Rebel quarterback Jaxson Dart was named a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award after completing 65 percent of his throws for 2,985 yards and 16 touchdowns, while also ranking 10th in the nation for passing yards per completion (14.35). Running back Quinshon Judkins ranks ninth in the nation with 15 rushing touchdowns and is 11th in total touchdowns with 16. 

Penn State (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten) enters the game ranked No. 10 in the CFP rankings. Under head coach James Franklin, Penn State brings a defensive unit that leads the nation in total defense (223.2 yards per game). The Nittany Lions earned three shutouts this season for the first time since 1978, and finished the season ranked first in the FBS in total sacks (48), second in rushing defense (69.7 yards per game) and third in scoring defense (11.4 points allowed per game). 

On offense, the Nittany Lions feature an efficient group that ranks fourth in the country in red zone offense, scoring on 58 of 61 opportunities (95 percent: 47 touchdowns and 11 field goals), and only lost six turnovers on the year, the second lowest in the nation. 

The Rebels will take on a current Big Ten opponent for the fourth time in their bowl history. Ole Miss fell 35-3 to Michigan in the 1991 Gator Bowl and beat Nebraska—then part of the Big 12 Conference—27-23 in the 2002 Independence Bowl. In their last matchup against a Big Ten squad, Kiffin and the Rebels defeated No. 7 Indiana 26-20 in the 2020 Outback Bowl. This will be the first ever meeting between Ole Miss and Penn State on the football field.

Ticket requests are available now here.

The priority deadline to purchase is Friday, Dec. 8 at 5 p.m. All ticket requests will be allocated based on blue priority points to the best available seats in the Ole Miss allotment. If demand exceeds the Ole Miss allotment, orders will be reduced based on the giving level with the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation.