Miami and Ole Miss are about to play the biggest game in the very short history between the programs. The Hurricanes and Rebels meet Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl.
Miami and Ole Miss have only played three times. All three were in Miami. And the last one came in 1951. On the field, Ole Miss holds a 2-1 edge in the all-time series.
Ole Miss reached the semifinals with a 41-10 first-round win over Tulane and a 39-34 win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal. Miami advanced with a 10-3 win at Texas A&M in the first round and then beat Ohio State 24-14 in the Cotton Bowl quarterfinal. Neither team were expected to make it this far in the CFP.
Miami-Ole Miss history
The series history is straight from the black-and-white era, with the last meeting between the two teams coming in 1951. It was truly a different era when they last played. The game attendance for the matchup in 1936 was 8,000 people. In 1940 it was about 7,500 people and then jumped to 46,191 people in 1951.
The first two matchups were homecoming games for the Hurricanes. The Canes brought Ole Miss in twice and lost both, before finally getting a win in the third meeting.
Every score in the Miami-Ole Miss series
- Nov. 27, 1936 (Miami, Fla.): Ole Miss 14, Miami 0
- Nov. 29, 1940 (Miami, Fla.): Ole Miss 21, Miami 7
- Oct. 26, 1951 (Miami, Fla.): Miami 20, Ole Miss 7
Obviously, the CFP semifinal game coming up will be the most important meeting between the two programs. Prior to this season, neither team had made it into the CFP and now they each have two wins and a real chance at winning the national championship.