No. 10 Miami and No. 6 Ole Miss meet in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Thursday.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN.
This is an unexpected – yet entirely fun matchup between two programs with some of the most impactful players in this year's College Football Playoff. The Hurricanes (12-2) advanced to this stage with a 24-14 victory against No. 2 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl Classic – and Rueben Bain Jr. Has emerged as a potential No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft as a result. Miami allows just 13.1 points per game this season.
Ole Miss (13-1) upset No. 3 Georgia 39-34 in the Allstate Sugar Bowl to advance to the semifinals. The Rebels continue to thrive since coach Lane Kiffin took the LSU job, and coach Pete Golding has held the staff and roster together. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is coming off a 362-yard, two-TD performance against the Bulldogs.
Here is a look at the five players to watch who will determine the outcome on Thursday's game:
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5 most important players in Fiesta Bowl
Rueben Bain Jr., DE, Miami
Bain – a projected top-five pick in AllSportsPeople' latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft – has been the most disruptive defensive player in the College Football Playoff to this point. According to Pro Football Focus, Bain has 16 quarterback pressures, 12 hurries and four sacks in two CFP games. Miami has 12 sacks, and teammate Akheem Mesidor has been every bit as disruptive with 17 pressures, 14 hurries and three sacks. Tackles Jayden Williams and Diego Pounds were part of an Ole Miss line that allowed just one quarterback hit in the Sugar Bowl. This is the key matchup for the Rebels, and Bain has another chance to shine.
Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss
Will Chambliss continue this CFP run and lead the Rebels to the CFP championship game? Chambliss has passed for more than 300 yards in four of Ole Miss' last five games. The 6-foot, 200-pound quarterback made a series of brilliant plays in the victory against Georgia. He has just three interceptions this season – and Chambliss has been effective enough in that intermediate range (10-19 yards). According to PFF, he is 49 of 90 (54.4%) with six TDs and no interceptions. Chambliss cannot have turnovers against the Miami secondary, but he also has a 61.7% completion percentage with 13 TDs and no interceptions against the blitz. That ability to go off script without making mistakes will be a key factor against the Hurricanes. He has 10 carries for 50 yards in two playoff games – but that total could increase against Miami, too.
SN AWARDS: 2025 All-America team | Player of the Year | Coach of the Year
Carson Beck, QB, Miami
Beck won't get a matchup against Georgia – his former team – but he continues to make the right decisions on the field to help the Hurricanes in this playoff run. In two CFP games, Beck is 33 of 46 (71.7%) for an average of 120.5 yards per game with two TDs and no interceptions. He's maintained a completion percentage of 70% or more in each of Miami's last six games since the loss to SMU on Nov. 1, and he took two sacks in the matchups against Texas A&M and Ohio State. Beck took five sacks in the 28-10 loss to Ole Miss with Georgia last season – and that was one of his roughest performances in 2024. This is a different team and a different time, but the Rebels need to force some bad decisions from Beck – and he has not done that in the postseason thus far.
Kewan Lacy, RB, Ole Miss
Lacy – a sophomore – announced he will return to Ole Miss for the 2026 season. He battled through a shoulder injury through the first two rounds of the CFP. Lacy has 295 carries – the third-most in the FBS – and he produced 1,464 yards and 23 TDs with that heavy workload. According to PFF, Lacy has forced 88 missed tackles this season – the third most behind Jacksonville State's Cam Cook (100) and Missouri's Ahmad Hardy (96). Paired with Chambliss, it makes for a challenge for the Hurricanes up front. Miami allows just 2.8 yards per rushing attempt – and Virginia Tech was the only team that averaged more than four yards per carry against the Hurricanes this season. How much success will Lacy have? He averages 7.1 yards per carry between the center and the right tackle this season.
MORE: Kewan Lacy announces he's returning to Ole Miss
Jakobe Thomas, S, Miami
Thomas – a 6-foot-2, 200-pound safety – has popped with a series of hard hits through the first two rounds of the CFP. He has 16 tackles and one interception in those victories against Texas A&M and Ohio State. Against the Buckeyes, Thomas allowed two catches for 15 yards on three targets. He's missed just one tackle in those two CFP games. Thomas has five interceptions this season. The fifth-year senior played three seasons at Middle Tennessee State and one year at Tennessee before landing at Miami. The Hurricanes have 16 interceptions and three pick-sixes this season – and Thomas is part of that game-changing secondary. Safety Keionte Scott – an Auburn transfer – has two pick-sixes. Will they make Chambliss uncomfortable in the down-field passing attack? It's one of the keys to the game.