The Tulsa Golden Hurricane take on the Ole Miss Rebels. Check out our college football odds series for our Tulsa Ole Miss prediction and pick.
The Ole Miss Rebels might not be quite as good as the 10-win team they were in 2021. They might not ready to go back to a New Year's Six bowl, which they were able to achieve in 2021. However, they are certainly going to try, and it's certainly too early to write them off in the attempt. Ole Miss, under Lane Kiffin, has moments when its offense looks the part of a group which can compete with the best in the SEC, but the point one has to emphasize when discussing the Lane Kiffin-coached Rebels is that they are not soft. They play defense. They are tough. They scrap. They are a very determined group. Kiffin's USC teams several years ago were noticeably soft. They splintered in the face of adversity. They wilted when they got punched in the mouth. These Ole Miss teams don't suffer from that problem. Ole Miss could have relaxed in Week 3 against Georgia Tech, when it had a huge second-half lead, but the Rebels pushed through to the end and secured a shutout of the Yellow Jackets. That defense plays with pride, and it's the precise mentality which gives Ole Miss a chance to replicate its achievements from 2021. Lane Kiffin has grown and evolved as a coach because he takes defense seriously and he spends time building a culture, things he didn't do at USC. Ole Miss might not be as talented as it was a year ago, but with this kind of attitude and toughness, the Rebels could still achieve something close to what they did in 2021.
Tulsa is a mysterious team at this point. The Golden Hurricane blew out Jacksonville State last week, but that doesn't tell us much about this team. They played close games against Wyoming (loss) and Northern Illinois (win) earlier in the season. Wyoming was atrocious in its season opener but then upset Air Force last week. How good are the Cowboys? We don't know … which makes it harder to evaluate Tulsa. Northern Illinois was good enough to take a 28-14 lead on Vanderbilt last week, but bad enough to blow that lead in the final 25 minutes. It's hard to pin down NIU as well, which makes Tulsa even more elusive as a focus of evaluation. This game might tell us more about how good the Golden Hurricane truly are.
Here are the Tulsa-Ole Miss NCAA football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Tulsa-Ole Miss Odds
Tulsa Golden Hurricane: +20.5 (-108)
Ole Miss Rebels: -20.5 (-112)
Over: 65.5 (-110)
Under: 65.5 (-110)
Why Tulsa Could Cover the Spread
If Wyoming and Northern Illinois are better than we think, or if you view those two teams favorably, you would then arrive at the natural conclusion that Tulsa is a better, tougher, more rugged and resourceful team than the experts might currently allow for. The Golden Hurricane would be able to keep this game relatively close and cover.
Why Ole Miss Could Cover the Spread
If you're sold on Ole Miss and what the Rebels are doing — after shutting out Georgia Tech, it's certainly easier to believe in the Rebels' defense — they can smother Tulsa and win with a 35-10 or 42-14 score in this game.
Final Tulsa-Ole Miss Prediction & Pick
Ole Miss plays such tough defense that it can probably pull away and win big in the second half.
Final Tulsa-Ole Miss Prediction & Pick: Ole Miss -20.5
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