Former Auburn and Carolina Panthers star QB Cam Newton said this week he's riding with Ole Miss, and he wants the Rebels to meet Indiana for the national title.
Newton made the comment on ESPN's First Take while discussing which semifinal opponent would be tougher for Indiana.
"I'm going with Ole Miss. When you have a guy like Trinidad Chambliss playing how he's played, that is something that the Indiana team as a whole has not seen all year."Cam Newton
"I'm going with Ole Miss. ... When you have a guy like Trinidad Chambliss playing how he's played, that is something that the Indiana team as a whole has not seen all year."@CameronNewton wants to see Indiana take on Ole Miss in the National Championship 🏆 pic.twitter.com/qTPLTSqo9q
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 2, 2026
Cam Newton believes Ole Miss is the toughest challenge to Indiana
For Newton's preferred matchup to happen, Ole Miss would need to beat Miami in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal on Thursday and Indiana would need to beat Oregon in the Peach Bowl semifinal on Friday.
Miami is trying to keep its run alive after a 24-14 upset of defending national champion Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. Ole Miss advanced by defeating Georgia 39-34 in the Sugar Bowl, a game where Chambliss threw for 362 yards and two touchdowns before the Rebels kicked the late go-ahead field goal.
Indiana, the No. 1 seed, looked the part in the quarterfinals, throttling Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl. Fernando Mendoza had three touchdown passes and Indiana controlled the line of scrimmage.
Cam Newton is giving Trinidad Chambliss his flowers
Chambliss has turned into one of college football's most unlikely postseason heroes, a Division II transfer who took over at Ole Miss and has been productive and careful with the ball. He has 3,660 passing yards, 21 touchdown passes and three interceptions this season. Chambliss has also put up 520 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns.
But, if you're Miami, you have to welcome the narrative and doubt at this point. The Hurricanes defense has lived on pressure and disruption all season, and they have proved it is a winning formula against Texas A&M and Ohio State. Miami also has a quarterback of its own who has played in the biggest games, with Carson Beck leading the offense.