The Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2 overall, 7-2 Big Ten) is set to take part in the 2023 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl against Ole Miss (10-2 overall, 6-2 SEC) in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. James Franklin and company have an opportunity cap off the season on a high note in another New Year’s Six bowl game.
Happy Valley Insider takes a first look at Ole Miss heading into Saturday's matchup.
Game/broadcast details:
When: December 30, 2023
Where: Atlanta, Georgia
Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Official capacity of 71,000)
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Television: ESPN - Mark Jones (PxP), Louis Riddick (Analyst) Quint Kessenich (Sidelines)
Odds via Yahoo Sportsbook: PSU -175 favorite (-4 point spread), over/under is 48.5.
Opt-outs kept to a minimum:
Penn State entered bowl season with the potential for a number of players to opt-out of Saturday's game, coinciding with the NFL Draft and possible transfer portal entrants. Those opt-outs haven't been as prevalent as they could have been for the Nittany Lions, however.
As of the time of this writing, defensive end Chop Robinson is the only player to opt-out of the game. Offensive tackle Olu Fashanu has not disclosed whether or not he will play, but the future NFL Draft pick will be with the team in Atlanta. Cornerback Johnny Dixon was expected to opt-out, but has not made a decision public at this time.
The cast of Nittany Lions playing their final game with the program has expanded, however, to include tight end Theo Johnson, cornerback Daequan Hardy, offensive tackle Caedan Wallace and linebacker Curtis Jacobs.
On the flip side, only defensive end Cedric Johnson will opt-out of Saturday's game for Ole Miss. Johnson had 6.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks for the Rebels in 2023.
Penn State pushing for history...
In Penn State's long and storied history thus far, it has never played in the Peach Bowl. That will change by the time kickoff happens on Saturday. The Nittany Lions will look to notch a win in the sixth of the New Year's Six bowl games, after having previously won the Sugar Bowl, Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl.
Head coach James Franklin will also be looking to reach another milestone during his tenure in Happy Valley but notching his fourth New Year's Six bowl victory with the Nittany Lions. A win on Saturday would mean the first time he will have won back-to-back of such bowl games at Penn State. Franklin is 6-5 in bowl games during his career and 4-1 in New Year's Six bowl games.
Can Ole Miss reach the 11-win mark?
Penn State isn't the only team looking to reach a new milestone on Saturday, as Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss will look to do the same. The Rebels could reach the 11-win mark for the first time in program history with a win after having 10 wins in a season nine times previously. Kiffin has won 11 game twice in his career, both coming at Florida Atlantic, and has had three seasons of 8+ win since he took over at Ole Miss in 2020.
Sitting at 11th in the College Football Playoff rankings, Ole Miss dropped games to only Alabama and Georgia this season, while also picking up notable victories over LSU and Tulane.