Ole Miss vs. TCU: Time, Channel, Line & Prediction

Ole MIss’ Bo Wallace threw for 3,085 yards this season.

It’s Tuesday, Dec. 2, and TCU just found out it is the No. 3 seed in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. Take care of business in the season-finale and when the final rankings come out Dec. 7, started getting prepped for the first-ever playoff semifinals.

The Horned Frogs (11-1, 8-1 Big 12) took care of business, 55-3 over Iowa State. Then came Dec. 7, and … gut punch.

TCU went from 3rd to “thanks for coming” as Ohio State muscled its way into the Final 4. Probably didn’t help the Horned Frogs play in a conference with no championship game.

At No. 6, the Horned Frogs play 9th-ranked Ole Miss (9-3, 5-3 SEC) in Wednesday’s Peach Bowl.

Gary Patterson, the AP Coach of the Year, has TCU riding a 7-game winning streak, while Hugh Freeze has won both of his bowl games with the Rebels.

The Basics

No. 9 Ole Miss (9-3) vs. No. 6 TCU (11-1), Peach Bowl

When:

Wednesday, 12:30 p.m. Eastern

Where:

Georgia Dome – Atlanta

TV Info:

Channel: ESPN
Announcers: Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Tim Tebow (analysis), Brock Huard (analysis), Shannon Spake (sidelines)

Line:

TCU (-3.5). Line provided by bovada.lv

All-Time Series:

Ole Miss leads 5-1

Last Year’s Peach Bowl:

Texas A&M 52, Duke 48

Ole Miss Highlights

TCU Highlights

Heavy’s Pick

OK, here we go. Bowl season gets kicked up a notch. The first meeting of Top 10 teams, both of whom had CFP visions most of the season. TCU has just 1 loss, a 61-58 setback to Baylor on a last second 3-pointer … er, field goal. Ole Miss stumbled a bit down the stretch, losing 3 of 5, but closed with a win in the Egg Bowl.

The Rebels allow 13.8 points per game, best in the FBS. The Horned Frogs score 46.8 per game, 2nd-best in the FBS. You can see why this game has serious “how on Earth is this going to play out?” potential.

TCU is smarting from the playoff omission. Trevone Boykin is as effective and productive as any QB not named Marcus Mariota. But the Big 12 isn’t exactly known for its defense. Either way, Boykin and the Frogs will move the ball and score some points. Not 46.8 on this Ole Miss D, but they’ll score.

Now the question is, can the Rebels score? They put up 30 ppg, but the key is going to be quarterback Bo Wallace. Wallace hasn’t been the most consistent player lately, especially since losing top weapon Laquon Treadwell for the season in the Auburn game.

The Rebels aren’t equipped for a track meet. This game isn’t going to be one, though (by TCU standards, anyway). But TCU plays deceptively good – and ball-hawking – defense and it is going to force Wallace into some bad decisions. It doesn’t hurt they are a group of angry Frogs, either.