Week 9 of the NCAA football season features many important matchups. One of the more pivotal games of the day is the early nationally televised contest between the No. 8-ranked Ole Miss Rebels and the No. 13-ranked Oklahoma Sooners. That SEC game airs on ABC from Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma.
The Ole Miss Rebels head into Week 9 with a 6-1 record overall and a 3-1 mark in the SEC. Ole Miss began the season with six straight wins, including a 24-19 win over then-ranked No. 4 LSU. The Rebels are coming off their first loss of the season, a 43-35 road setback to the Georgia Bulldogs.
The Oklahoma Sooners are in fifth place in the SEC with a 2-1 conference mark and a 6-1 overall record. Oklahoma had five wins before its 23-6 neutral-site loss to Texas on October 11. The Sooners bounced back from that setback with a 26-7 road win over South Carolina last week.
These teams have met twice before, with Ole Miss winning both games. Their most recent matchup was a 26-14 Rebels win in Oxford.
This weekend’s matchup against Oklahoma is the biggest game on the Ole Miss schedule for the remainder of the NCAA football season. None of the four games left on the Rebels’ schedule is against a ranked opponent. With that, Ole Miss wants to make a statement in Oklahoma, especially coming off its loss to the Georgia Bulldogs.
One thing that hurt Ole Miss against Georgia was the team’s rushing defense. The Bulldogs put up 221 yards rushing in that contest, with three players picking up more than 50 yards. The Rebels are giving up an average of 166.7 yards per game on the ground, which is second-worst in the SEC.
The pressure is on Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss, and he’s going to face a lot of pressure against Oklahoma. Chambliss gets rid of the ball very quickly, which will help him in this game, but his receivers need to be ready and in position when he’s ready to release. If Chambliss can make that happen, Ole Miss could have success this weekend.
Ole Miss also has to contend with the talk that coach Lane Kiffin could be leaving the team to take the job in Florida at the end of the season. That’s noise that the Rebels’ players don’t need to deal with.
The Oklahoma Sooners have an incredibly tough schedule for the remainder of the 2025 NCAA football season. Following this week’s matchup against Ole Miss at home, the Sooners face Tennessee and Alabama on the road before matching up against Missouri and LSU at home. All of those teams are ranked inside the top 20. Every game from here on out will feel like a playoff game for Oklahoma.
Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer took much of the blame for the team’s loss to Texas, throwing three interceptions in that game. He bounced back from that defeat with an 18 for 26 performance with 0 interceptions against South Carolina. Another thing that helped the Sooners in that game was their running attack. The team picked up 171 yards on the ground, with Tory Blaylock having his second 100-yard gain game of the year (101) on a season-high 19 carries. Look for the Sooners to mix things up in the air and on the ground against Ole Miss.
Oklahoma has the best sack rate in America. The team needs to put a lot of pressure on the Ole Miss passing game. The team also has a great rushing defense, allowing an SEC-low 80.4 yards per game. The team’s passing defense is also the best in the conference, allowing 132.6 yards per game.
Ole Miss Rebels vs. Oklahoma Sooners Betting Picks and Predictions
This could be a make or break game for Ole Miss, but the Georgia game, facing Oklahoma at home and the questions about the future of their coach will all conspire against them this week in Norman.
The betting pick is for the Oklahoma Sooners to beat the Ole Miss Rebels in Week 9 NCAA football action.
Trent is a professional sports journalist specializing in UFC, MMA, and esports coverage. His work has been featured in prestigious publications such as USA Today Sports, Vice, Bloody Elbow, Fight! Magazine, UFC 360, and Narratively. Trent's connection to MMA dates back to the early days when he and his friends pooled their resources to purchase the pay-per-view broadcast of UFC 1. He also has extensive experience in esports, particularly League of Legends and Counter Strike, dating back to the game's launch.