2026 Sugar Bowl

The 2026 Sugar Bowl is a college football bowl game that is scheduled to be played on January 1, 2026, at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The 92nd annual Sugar Bowl game will be one of the playoff quarterfinals and will feature the Georgia Bulldogs and Ole Miss Rebels, both members of the Southeastern Conference. The game is scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. EST. The Sugar Bowl will be one of the 2025–26 bowl games concluding the 2025 FBS football season and the winner will advance to the College Football Playoff semifinals.^[1][2] Sponsored by the Allstate insurance company, the game is officially known as the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

The 2026 Sugar Bowl is a quarterfinal game for the College Football Playoff (CFP). No.  3 Georgia, being one of the top four teams in the final CFP rankings, received an automatic bye in the CFP and was selected to play in the bowl game. No. 11 Tulane and No. 6 Ole Miss competed for the other spot in the Sugar Bowl, with Ole Miss winning by a 41–10 score on December 20, 2025.^[3]

The game will feature two College Football Playoff (CFP) teams—one of the four highest-ranked teams, Georgia, who received a bye to the quarterfinals, and the winner of a CFP first-round game, Ole Miss. Both teams are members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and met during a regular-season game, which Georgia won, 43–35.^[4]

Georgia began the season as the No. 5 ranked team in the AP Poll. The Bulldogs began the season with two wins over nonconference opponents Marshall and Austin Peay before earning their first SEC win of the season on the road against Tennessee. They returned home to face Alabama, losing 24–21, their first loss at home since 2019. The Bulldogs rebounded by soundly defeating Kentucky the following week and then knocking off rival Auburn on the road. They then outlasted Ole Miss 43–35, jumping to No. 5 in the AP Poll entering a bye week. Following the bye week, Georgia defeated rival Florida in Jacksonville and Mississippi State in Starkville. The Bulldogs then returned home for a two-game home stretch, including a 35–10 victory over Texas and a 35–3 win over Charlotte. In the final game of the regular season, Georgia defeated rival Georgia Tech, 16–9, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. In the 2025 SEC Championship Game, the Bulldogs avenged their lone loss to Alabama, defeating the Crimson Tide, 28–7, to become SEC champions and clinch an automatic bid to the College Football Playoff as one of the top five highest-ranked conference champions.

The bowl game will be the 13th Sugar Bowl appearance for the Bulldogs, with a record of 5–7 in prior editions. The program's latest appearance in the Sugar Bowl was the 2025 game, losing to Notre Dame, 23–10. Georgia enters the game as the SEC champions, with a 12–1 record (7–1 in conference).

Ole Miss began the season as the No. 21 ranked team in the AP Poll. The Rebels began the season with a 63–7 rout of Georgia State before earning their first SEC victory of the season on the road against Kentucky. After starting quarterback Austin Simmons was injured against Kentucky, Ferris State transfer Trinidad Chambliss was named the Rebels' starter moving forward. After outlasting Arkansas and soundly handling Tulane, Ole Miss faced undefeated LSU in the Magnolia Bowl. The Rebels prevailed 24–19 over the Tigers and vaulted to No. 4 in the AP Poll. Following a bye week, Ole Miss defeated Washington State before heading to Athens to face Georgia, where the Rebels were outlasted 43–35. Following their first defeat of the season, Ole Miss rebounded with a 34–26 road victory at Oklahoma. The Rebels then returned home for a three-game homestand that included victories over South Carolina, The Citadel, and Florida. Following their second bye week, Ole Miss faced off against rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl, with the Rebels winning 38–19. Two days following the Rebels' Egg Bowl victory, head coach Lane Kiffin announced his departure from the program to become the next head coach at LSU. After Kiffin's departure, the team announced that defensive coordinator Pete Golding would take over as the head coach for the College Football Playoffs. As the No. 6 seed in the playoffs, the Rebels rematched with Tulane, defeating the Green Wave, 41–10, to move on to the Quarterfinals.

The bowl game will be the 11th Sugar Bowl appearance for the Rebels, with a record of 6–4 in prior editions. The program's latest appearance in the Sugar Bowl was the 2022 game, losing to Baylor, 21–7. Ole Miss enters the game with a 12–1 record (7–1 in conference).

• List of college football post-season games that were rematches of regular season games

• Game statistics at statbroadcast.com