Overview
- Ole Miss advanced by defeating Georgia 39-34 in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal.
- Miami, the No. 10 seed, earned its first-ever CFP semifinal berth by beating No. 2 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.
- The semifinal kicks off Jan. 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, with ESPN carrying the broadcast.
- The No. 6 Rebels are 13-1 with wins over Tulane (twice), Oklahoma and LSU, and they avenged their lone loss to Georgia.
- After Lane Kiffin departed for LSU, Ole Miss promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding to head coach for the playoff run.