Current:Home > StocksPeach Bowl boasts playoff-caliber matchup between No. 10 Penn State and No. 11 Ole Miss-LoTradeCoin
Peach Bowl boasts playoff-caliber matchup between No. 10 Penn State and No. 11 Ole Miss
View Date:2024-12-24 21:33:34
ATLANTA (AP) — The Peach Bowl matchup of No. 10 Penn State and No. 11 Mississippi would be a good pairing in the 2024 debut of a 12-team playoff.
For now, the goal is building momentum for a run at next year’s national championship. And even without playoff drama, the showdown between the Nittany Lions’ top-ranked defense and the up-tempo Rebels offense led by quarterback Jaxson Dart help make Saturday’s game an attractive sellout.
Ole Miss (10-2) hopes to complete the first 11-win season in school history.
“It will never be forgotten, getting that 11th win, something that has never been done in program history,” said Rebels wide receiver Jordan Watkins. “It’s been a great motivating factor for us, and I think it will take a lot of momentum going into next season.”
Penn State (10-2) is making its first Peach Bowl appearance, and coach James Franklin is motivated to complete the program’s collection of New Year’s Six bowl victories.
COORDINATING MYSTERY
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said changes on the Penn State staff have created new worries for his plans. Former Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz was hired as Duke’s head coach. Assistants Anthony Poindexter and Robb Smith are co-coordinators for the bowl game while Franklin’s hire as the 2024 coordinator, former Indiana coach Tom Allen, observes.
Andy Kotelnicki has been hired as Penn State’s new offensive coordinator, but assistants Ja’Quan Seider and Ty Howle will work in their third game as co-coordinators.
“We don’t have any idea what they’re going to do,” Kiffin said Tuesday.
OPT-OUTS
The decisions by Penn State defensive end Chop Robinson and Ole Miss defensive end Cedric Johnson to skip the game and prepare for the NFL draft were announced before the teams traveled to Atlanta. Franklin confirmed on Friday that senior cornerback Johnny Dixon is not with the team.
Franklin worked out agreements with others, including cornerback Kalen King and defensive end Adisa Isaac, who have announced draft plans or are expected to enter the draft, to stay with the team through the bowl.
REBELS WITH A PAUSE
Dart and running back Quinshon Judkins on Thursday wouldn’t commit to playing for Ole Miss in 2024.
Dart, a junior, could still enter the NFL draft. Judkins, a sophomore, could entertain interest in the transfer portal. Either decision could have a big impact on the Rebels’ outlook.
When asked Thursday if he’d made a decision about his future, Dart said “Honestly, not too worried about it right now. Just focused on the bowl game and focused on my preparation and doing my job to help put my team in the best situation to win and help make history here.”
Judkins said he is “just focused on this bowl game, just going out with my guys.”
HALL OF FAMER
A visit to the College Football Hall of Fame near Mercedes-Benz Stadium gave Penn State players a chance to appreciate the college career of Poindexter, who was inducted in 2020 for his exploits as a safety at Virginia in the late 1990s.
“It was special because I got to go with our team,” Poindexter said. “I don’t know if they really thought I could play or not. I really don’t tell them. So maybe now they’ll think I can play a little bit.”
SEC COUNTRY
Franklin, the former Vanderbilt coach, has played up the opportunity for his Big Ten team against a Southeastern Conference team.
“We’re excited we’re in SEC territory,” said Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton. “Coach Franklin always preaches about that. But we’re ready.”
___
Get alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll throughout the season. Sign up here.
___
AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
veryGood! (3782)
Related
- McDonald's Version: New Bestie Bundle meals celebrate Swiftie friendship bracelets
- Federal judge blocks Kentucky's ban on gender-affirming care for trans minors
- How Many Polar Bears Will Be Left in 2100? If Temperatures Keep Rising, Probably Not a Lot
- BP’s Incoming Boss Ready to Scale Down Gulf Clean-up Operation
- Kim Kardashian Says She's Raising Her and Kanye West's 4 Kids By Herself
- Airline passengers are using hacker fares to get cheap tickets
- Clean Energy Soared in the U.S. in 2017 Due to Economics, Policy and Technology
- Family Feud Contestant Timothy Bliefnick Found Guilty of Murdering Wife Rebecca
- Democrat Ruben Gallego wins Arizona US Senate race against Republican Kari Lake
- Trump’s Fighting to Keep a Costly, Unreliable Coal Plant Running. TVA Wants to Shut It Down.
Ranking
- The Best Corduroy Pants Deals from J.Crew Outlet, Old Navy, Levi’s & More, Starting at $26
- Jedidiah Duggar and Wife Katey Welcome Baby No. 2
- Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar Break Silence on Duggar Family Secrets Docuseries
- Canada’s Tar Sands Province Elects a Combative New Leader Promising Oil & Pipeline Revival
- Tech consultant testifies that ‘bad joke’ led to deadly clash with Cash App founder Bob Lee
- Jill Duggar Shares Her Biggest Regrets and More Duggar Family Secrets Series Bombshells
- Britney Spears Shares Mother-Son Pic Ahead of Kids' Potential Move to Hawaii With Kevin Federline
- Young LGBTQI+ Artists Who Epitomize Black Excellence
Recommendation
-
Olivia Munn Says She “Barely Knew” John Mulaney When She Got Pregnant With Their Son
-
Local Advocates Say Gulf Disaster Is Part of a Longstanding Pattern of Cultural Destruction
-
TikTok forming a Youth Council to make the platform safer for teens
-
Biden Put Climate at the Heart of His Campaign. Now He’s Delivered Groundbreaking Nominees
-
Firefighters make progress, but Southern California wildfire rages on
-
Five Mississippi deputies in alleged violent episode against 2 Black men fired or quit
-
Man faces felony charges for unprovoked attack on dog in North Carolina park, police say
-
Coal Ash Contaminates Groundwater at 91% of U.S. Coal Plants, Tests Show