The Florida Gators travel to Oxford, Mississippi in week 12 to take on No.7 Ole Miss at 7:00 p.m. Florida faces its sixth top 10 opponent of the season, tying the program record for most top 10 games in a year (1987).
Saturday night marks the 27th meeting between Florida and Ole Miss including the ninth matchup in Oxford. The Gators took the all-time series lead at 13-12-1 after a 24-17 upset win of No. 9 Ole Miss in The Swamp last season. Florida has won six of their last seven vs. the Rebels since 1965 including three in a row.
Despite Florida’s disappointing 3–6 (2–4 SEC) record, the drama continues as the Gators take on Lane Kiffin, the most talked about name regarding UF’s head coaching vacancy.
Ole Miss is primed for a playoff spot at 9-1 (5-1 SEC) on the season. Although a home loss to three-win Gator team would make things interesting given the crowded playoff picture.
While it may not matter, Gator fans would rather not see Kiffin and Ole Miss in the playoffs as a deep run could increase the chances Kiffin stays in Oxford and slow down Florida’s coaching search. The Gators have a chance to stop that from happening with an upset win, much like they pulled off last season.
It won’t be an easy task, however. The Rebels’ offense is one of best in college football, ranking 13th in scoring offense and 4th in total offense. Ole Miss averages 37.5 points and 489.4 yards per game. It’s a fun, explosive, and up-tempo offense that relies on a number of different playmakers.
It all starts with senior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who is easily one of the best college football stories in 2025. Chambliss transferred in from Ferris State to backup projected starter Austin Simmons. When Simmons got hurt early in the year, Chambliss took over and the rest was history. The undersized 6’0, 200-pound quarterback has completed 64% of his passes for 2,356 yards and 13 touchdowns while throwing just two interceptions. Chambliss is also a weapon in the run game, rushing for 434 yards and six touchdowns. The Michigan native won a Division II National Championship with Ferris State last season and has Ole Miss in the playoff hunt one year later. It’s important that Florida keeps Chambliss from escaping the pocket where he is awfully dangerous.
Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy is one of the most used players in college football, ranking fifth in the country in carries at 200 through 10 games. He’s also caught 22 passes this season, bringing his average touch total to 22.2 per game. Lacy leads the country in rushing touchdowns (16) and ranks 12th in rushing yards (912). To make those numbers more impressive, Lacy is only in his second year of college football.
Much like Gators’ running back Jadan Baugh, Lacy thrives in creating yards after contact and breaking tackles, ranking just below Baugh in both statistics.
The Rebels don’t have a clear-cut No.1 option at wide receiver. Ole Miss has four pass catchers with 400+ yards on the season and six at 298+ yards. They like to spread the ball around to their playmakers, including tight end Dae’Quan Wright, who leads the team in receiving touchdowns with four.
While the Ole Miss defense took a step back from last season after losing a ton of production, they still rank 30th in total defense and 24th in scoring defense.
One name worth keeping an eye on is edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen, the brother of Princely Umanmielen, who played for both Florida and Ole Miss before getting selected in the NFL Draft. Umanmielen leads Ole Miss in sacks with 4.5 on the season and has recorded at least one sack in three of their last four games.
This will be a tough environment in Oxford. You can bet on the Ole Miss fans bringing the fire given the buzz surrounding their head coach. The Gators will need to tune out the noise to be competitive in this one.