Mississippi football passed its first test in the post-Lane Kiffin era on Saturday, Dec. 20 with a commanding 41-10 win over No. 11 seed Tulane in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

A few hours after the Rebels secured the first-ever CFP win in program history, the ex-Ole Miss coach jumped back on X (formerly Twitter) and congratulated his former program on the win:

It is one of several Ole Miss-related tweets Kiffin sent from his personal account throughout the day. Other tweets include him attempting to extend an olive branch between Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, and then agreeing with SEC Network’s Jordan Rogers that Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is the ‘most overlooked’ quarterback in the CFP field.

On the field at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Chambliss led the way for the Rebels with three combined touchdown scores and his 10th game of the season with at least 250 passing yards. He completed 23 of 29 passing for 282 yards and a touchdown pass.

The win for Ole Miss marked its 12th win of the season, which set a program record for most wins in a single season. It also was the first for Pete Golding, Kiffin’s former defensive coordinator at Ole Miss who was promoted to the program’s next full-time head coach.

Kiffin, who wanted to coach the Rebels in the playoffs, left the program after six seasons on Sunday, Nov. 30 for the open job at LSU. His request to continue coaching Ole Miss was declined by the Rebels administration.

No. 6 seed Ole Miss will now face No. 3 seed Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 1 at 8 p.m. ET in New Orleans at Caesars’ Superdome.

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Three players were ejected after a skirmish broke out late in the fourth quarter of the Philadelphia Eagles’ Week 16 game against the Washington Commanders.

The brawl occurred after Saquon Barkley punched in a two-point conversion that put the Eagles up 29-10. Several players from both teams began scrapping after the play, and Commanders defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw took a swing at an Eagles player.

Shortly thereafter, Eagles right guard Tyler Steen took a couple of swings at Commanders safety Quan Martin as a cascade of flags rained down on the field.

Below is a look at the skirmish in full:

The fight resulted in Kinlaw, Martin and Steen receiving offsetting personal foul penalties. All three were also ejected from the game with 4:26 remaining in regulation.

It wasn’t immediately clear what precipitated the brawl. However, it’s worth noting the Eagles went ahead by three scores after Tank Bigsby scored a touchdown that put the team up 27-10 yet still decided to attempt the two-point conversion.

Nick Sirianni explained his decision to go for two during his postgame news conference.

‘We were up 17,’ Sirianni said, per The Athletic. ‘To go up 18, we did the math and said hey, we wanted to be able to make sure we were up 19. We thought it was a little bit better. That way they could only tie you with a field goal … two touchdowns and two, two-point conversions.’

‘We were already up three scores,’ he added. ‘We wanted to make sure we went up that way, just in case. That was what our math told us in that particular case and that’s what we did, and we went and executed.’

Commanders coach Dan Quinn was also asked about Sirianni’s decision. He didn’t seem too bothered by it.

‘That’s their choice man,’ Quinn said. ‘I want to look at the tape and see what happened before our ejections or poise or any of those things. Our guys are absolutely gonna stick up for themselves and for their teammates, so I’ll have a better sense as we get through it.’

‘If that’s how they want to get down, all good,’ Quinn later added. ‘We play them again in two weeks.’

Veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner echoed a similar sentiment when asked about the play after the game.

‘It is what it is, bro. I don’t care,’ Wagner told reporters in the locker room. ‘Is it disrespectful? Maybe. But we’ve still got to stop them. That’s how I look at it. We’ve got to stop them. And we’ll see them in a couple weeks.’

No. 6 Mississippi scored twice in the game’s first eight minutes and then pulled away in the second half to beat No. 11 Tulane 41-10 in the opening round of the College Football Playoff.

With the win, the Rebels advance to a Sugar Bowl matchup in the quarterfinals against No. 3 Georgia. The Bulldogs beat Ole Miss 45-35 in October.

The Rebels were playing without former coach Lane Kiffin, who left for LSU after the end of the regular season. He was replaced by former defensive coordinator Pete Golding, the first coach in Bowl Subdivision history to make his debut in the playoff.

Even without Kiffin, the offense continued to operate as a two-man game between quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy. Chambliss went 23 of 29 for 282 yards and Lacy added 94 yards of total offense on 16 touches before leaving with an injury.

Ole Miss came out of the gate energized for a rematch of September’s 45-10 rout of the Green Wave, who went on to win the American and were the highest-ranked Group of Five team in the final playoff rankings.

The Rebels went 75 yards and scored in three plays on the opening possession, taking up less than a minute of clock thanks to a 30-yard completion by Chambliss, a 25-yard completion and then a 20-yard touchdown run from Lacy.

Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff was then intercepted in the red zone to give the ball back to Ole Miss, which went 60 yards in just four plays to take a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

The Rebels were unable to deliver something close to a knockout blow just before halftime, however, after backup quarterback Austin Simmons replaced a banged-up Chambliss and fumbled in the Tulane red zone with 20 seconds left in the second quarter. That held the score at 17-3 heading into the break.

Both Chambliss and Lacy, who was evaluated in the medical tent for an apparent shoulder injury earlier on that same drive, returned in the second half. Lacy seemed to reaggravate his shoulder late in the third quarter and didn’t return.

The lead grew on the Rebels’ first possession of the third quarter, when Chambliss found De’Zhaun Stribling for a 13-yard touchdown to put Ole Miss ahead 24-3. Chambliss completed all four of his throws on the drive for 64 yards.

Tulane’s resulting drive ended near midfield with Retzlaff coming up short of two attempted quarterback sneaks, highlighting the Rebels’ immense edge at the line of scrimmage. Ole Miss added a 48-yard field goal by Lucas Carneiro to go up 27-3 with 4:57 left in the quarter.

After Retzlaff fumbled during a short run on the ensuing possession to turn the ball over again near midfield, Ole Miss went 52 yards ending with a scoring run by backup Logan Diggs to take a 34-3 lead one play into the fourth quarter and put the game away.

A former Brigham Young transfer, Retzlaff finished 20-for-35 for 306 yards with a touchdown and interception.

This was the last game for second-year Tulane coach Jon Sumrall, who was recently hired by Florida. His replacement is current Tulane assistant and former Southern Mississippi coach Will Hall.

By the time the first quarter ended, Tulane football found itself in a sizeable hole. Mississippi scored two quick touchdowns in the first eight minutes of the first round College Football Playoff game on Saturday, Dec. 20.

That hole continued to grow throughout the game, as No. 6 Ole Miss put up nearly 500 total yards of offense and 41 points in a 41-10 win over No. 11 Tulane at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to advance to the Sugar Bowl against No. 3 Georgia on New Year’s Day.

Shortly after Trinidad Chambliss put the Rebels up 41-3 at the 10:45 mark of the fourth quarter with his second rushing score of the game, ESPN broadcasters Joe Tessitore and Jesse Palmer discussed at length the current College Football Playoff system and format and whether the first-round game in Oxford would have been different if Notre Dame made the 12-team field.

‘I’m all about inclusivity and I’m fine with one Group of Five team making it into the 12-team fold and that team deserved to be Tulane. They won the best Group of Five conference, (and) they beat Duke, the eventual ACC champion. But as a fan, I want to see the other 11 teams have a legitimate chance at winning a national championship,’ Palmer said on the TNT broadcast.

The issue that Tessitore and Palmer appeared to be having is that James Madison also got into the 12-team bracket as a second Group of Five representative — a first in the 12-team CFP era. The Dukes, the ultimate underdog of this year’s CFP field, are facing No. 5 Oregon.

What the broadcasters forgot to mention is how James Madison got into the CFP: unranked Duke beat No. 17 Virginia in the ACC championship game. If the Cavaliers had beaten the Blue Devils, James Madison would have been left out, as Virginia would have been ranked as the higher conference champion between the two.

Tessitore mentioned the hypothetical thought of Notre Dame’s inclusion in the CFP bracket several times during the rant. The Fighting Irish, of course, were left out of the field after the CFP selection committee used the head-to-head tiebreaker between Notre Dame and Miami, which upset No. 7 Texas A&M earlier on Saturday, after not using it in their previous rankings reveals. Miami moved ahead of BYU and Notre Dame in the final CFP rankings after the Cougars lost in the Big 12 championship game.

‘This has been a completely non-competitive game,’ Tessitore said in reference to Ole Miss-Tulane. ‘If this were Notre Dame, what kind of game would we have had?’

Added Palmer: ‘Imagine how big this environment already is for this one and what that would have looked like if Notre Dame had that opportunity. We got a rematch of what we already saw (earlier this season). The scoreboard in this one is not much different than what we saw earlier in September.

‘I think this is something that the committee needs to continue working out as they press forward.’

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Miami upset Texas A&M in a low-scoring College Football Playoff game defined by defense.
Miami’s defense was the key to victory, holding the Aggies’ offense in check.
The result validated the CFP selection committee’s choice to include Miami in the 12-team bracket.

COLLEGE STATION, TX – This one’s for the sickos.

This one, this Miami-Texas A&M fistfight, went out to all those who like this sport when it’s magnificent, but downright romanticize it when it’s warty and unpolished, when every yard’s a struggle, when field-goal attempts sail wide right, or into a big lineman’s paw or ricochet off the upright. Doink!

The sickos laughed. They loved every second of this 10-3 Miami upset of Texas A&M. Because, this had a dose of everything. Except touchdowns. None of those, until Malachi Toney crossed the goal line with fewer than two minutes remaining.

Who needs multiple touchdowns? Not Miami’s defense. The Hurricanes salted away this triumph with Bryce Fitzgerald’s red-zone interception with seconds remaining.

If you desired unparalleled brilliance and pristine performance, well, I’m afraid this College Football Playoff is too big for you, and you need a playoff that’s more elitist.

The sickos will take this unrefined 12-team bracket over tidy elegance, thank you much.

This mucky tussle goes into the Sickos Hall of Fame. First-ballot selection. You think Miami cares? That’s a badge of honor. You say ugly, the Hurricanes say defensive masterpiece.

It’s on to Ohio State.

Miami defense gets it done against Texas A&M in rugged CFP win

Sickos don’t need touchdowns, not when you’ve got Texas A&M’s punter overshooting his target on a fourth-down pass. Why not gamble with a fake punt? It’s not like Miami could take advantage of the field position. Wiiiiiidddeee right, went the field goal!

The passes from Miami’s Carson Beck and the Aggies’ Marcel Reed sailed wide left, wide right or simply soared beyond their mark.

Reed’s scrambles counted as the Aggies’ best offense. Handoffs up the middle and jet sweeps became Miami’s best bet.

When Texas A&M finally scored with 8:03 left in the fourth quarter, the fans in maroon roared as loudly as they had since the pregame, and a cannon fired, and the sickos mourned the loss of a shutout.

And you can say the defenses played well, and that’s true. And you can say the wind that whipped the flags and rattled the goal posts created difficult passing conditions, and that’s also true.

And you can say the quarterback play was downright unsightly, and that’s true, too.

Committee vindicated as Miami wins, while Notre Dame sits

Just when you thought the football gods finally would supply a touchdown, Miami’s speedy punt returner streaking up the sideline got stopped short of pay dirt by a diving Aggie’s side-swiping right arm. Still, only 25 yards were needed for a score. That proved 25 yards too many. Miami’s offense reversed five yards, and the field goal went, you guessed it, wiiiiiidddeee right!

The sickos doubled over in delight.

Notre Dame fans must have hate-watched this magnum opus of punts and gaffes and 2-yard runs, but, the fact remains, the Irish lost to both of these teams. And, so, the Irish can pretend they would have marched into this howling stadium, with the wind whistling, and scored five touchdowns. The Irish can say that, without a shred of evidence, but with full conviction, because aggrieved teams always go undefeated in the games they don’t play.

The CFP selection committee went undefeated with its last-two-in selections. Raise a glass to the committee, or at least lower your voices, because first Alabama, then Miami, ventured into two of college football’s fiercest lions’ dens and emerged with a pelt.

The playoff’s first two games unfolded in 180-degree fashion, but that’s sport for you, isn’t it?

This sport belongs on college campuses, and it’s only fair that one of college football’s most impressive and colossal cathedrals got to host just the sixth playoff game ever to be played on a campus site.

Ten minutes before kickoff, the stadium started to shake as the decibels climbed. The fans in the crowd of 104,122 began waving their white towels. Then, they began to chant.

Ahhhhh, heyyyyyyyy! Ahhhhhhh, heyyyyyyyyyy! Ahhhhhhh, heyyyyyyy!

The Aggies emerged from the tunnel behind the south end zone, and flames shot into the sky as the sun poured down on a December day created for a playoff game in this football-mad state.

The scene at Kyle Field set a high bar for heaven to clear.

Then, the game began and the tackles piled up, and so did errant passes and the turnovers and the blunders, and the sickos watched Miami’s defense cast the Aggies into the fire.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

The 2020 NFL Draft class featured some of the league’s top talents at their positions. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson, tackle Tristan Wirfs, running back Jonathan Taylor and safeties Antoine Winfield Jr. and Xavier McKinney have all made at least one All-Pro team since entering the league.

The class also featured four quarterbacks, starting with Joe Burrow No. 1 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals.

But there was a chance Burrow could’ve ended up in South Beach.

The Miami Dolphins reportedly offered four first-round picks to the Bengals for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. That pick would’ve presumably been used to select Burrow.

Miami drafted quarterback Tua Tagovailoa at No. 5 overall, making him the second-highest selected passer in the draft class. The Los Angeles Chargers drafted Justin Herbert one pick later and the Green Bay Packers selected Jordan Love No. 26 overall to round out the first-round quarterbacks.

This week, the Dolphins announced they are benching Tagovailoa and turning to seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers to start in Week 16 against Burrow’s Bengals.

Tagovailoa is on pace for his worst year in the NFL since his rookie season. He leads the NFL in interceptions with 15 through 14 games and has an 88.5 passer rating.

Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota was injured in the third quarter of the team’s Week 16 game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Mariota was hurt after firing a third-down incompletion to Treylon Burks. It wasn’t immediately clear what Mariota injured, but he headed to the sideline under his own power and quickly went into the blue medical tent.

Shortly thereafter, Mariota was seen exiting the tent. He jogged to the locker room with the Commanders’ medical staff in tow and a towel draped over his right hand.

Marcus Mariota injury update

The Commanders announced Mariota had cleared concussion protocol after being evaluated but that he was questionable to return to Saturday’s game because of a hand injury.

Washington is already without starting quarterback Jayden Daniels (elbow) for the remainder of the season. If Mariota can’t return to action, the Commanders will need to rely on their third-string quarterback to lead them moving forward against the Eagles.

Who is the Commanders’ backup QB?

Johnson has a career record of 1-8 as a starter and has completed 58.1% of his career passes for 2,297 yards, 13 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

Commanders QB depth chart

The Commanders have four quarterbacks in their organization, and just three entered Saturday’s game healthy. Below is a look at the pecking order within the unit:

Jayden Daniels (injured)
Marcus Mariota
Josh Johnson
Sam Hartman (practice squad)

(This story will be updated as more information becomes available.)

A 2003 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection dual logo man, All-NBA Access Pass Patch, of Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and the late Kobe Bryant sold for seven figures through Heritage Auctions on Friday.

The one of one trading card, which was graded a six by the Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), sold for $3,172,000, including a buyer’s premium or 22% of the successful bid per lot.

The 2003-04 NBA season was the official debut of the Upper Deck Exquisite issue that included the ‘dual logo man’ adding value to the sports memorabilia.

It isn’t the first time a Jordan-Bryant dual logo man card broke the seven-figure plane. Earlier this year, another one of one trading card, a 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection dual logo man signed by both legends, sold for just under $13 million on Aug. 23. According to Heritage Auctions, the rare sports card sold for a world record $12,932,000.

What is Heritage Auction?

Heritage Auctions, established in 1976, is the largest collectibles auctioneer and third largest auction house in the world, according to their website. It’s boasted as the largest auction house founded in the United States.

Heritage Auctions is headquartered in Dallas and offers a wide range collectibles and memorabilia including sports keepsakes, U.S and world currency, arts, comics, entertainment, movie and music and historical and political souvenirs such as Civil War items.

The site contains nearly 2 million bidders and members across the world who are registered online.

‘This loyal and growing community of collectors is a testament to the usefulness of our website,’ their website said. ‘Our reputation for professional business practices and our vast expertise in the field of art and collectibles.’

How much were top-selling cards auctioned for?

The 2003 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection dual logo man with Jordan and Bryant wasn’t the only token trading card to surpass the million-dollar price range Friday.

A 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle baseball scored an eight by the PSA and sold for $1,555,500. Also, a period-signed 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle sold for just short of $1 million. It was bought for $945,500.

Months earlier, a 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth rookie card sold for multiple millions. The card represents the baseball legend known as ‘Bambino’ and his stop in Baltimore in the International League. The card was purchased for $4,026,000 on Oct. 24.

Earlier in the year another Ruth rookie card topped $1 million. A 1916 Herpolsheimer Co. trading card featuring the baseball Hall of Famer, who was born George Herman ‘Babe’ Ruth, commanding the mound in his Boston Red Sox pitching pose. The card earned a score of 7 by the PSA. It sold for $1,403,000 on Aug. 23.

It’s on to Georgia prep for Mississippi football.

The sixth-seeded Rebels secured their spot in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals with a commanding 41-10 win over No.No. 11 Tulane on Saturday, Dec. 20 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in the first round of the CFP.

It’s the first win for Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff, and the first win for the Rebels in the Pete Golding era, as the former Ole Miss defensive coordinator was promoted to the program’s full-time head coach following Lane Kiffin’s departure to LSU.

Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who was evaluated for a concussion at halftime, completed 23 of 29 passes for 282 yards and a touchdown pass on the night. He also finished with two rushing scores: a 4-yard touchdown in the first quarter and an 8-yard touchdown in the fourth. The Rebels’ defense held the Green Wave offense to just 10 points while racking up two sacks and eight tackles for a loss.

Here’s a quick look at what you need to know about who the Rebels play next in the College Football Playoff:

Who does Ole Miss football play next in CFP?

With its first-round win, Ole Miss will now face three-seeded Georgia in the next round of the College Football Playoff. The Sugar Bowl matchup between the two SEC programs will be their second meeting this season, as Georgia defeated Ole Miss 43-35 on Saturday, Oct. 18 in Athens.

The Rebels led at halftime and at the start of the fourth quarter against the Bulldogs, but were unable to fight off Gunner Stockton and Georgia’s offense in the fourth. It is the lone loss of the season for Ole Miss.

Led by star linebacker CJ Allen, Georgia’s defense ranks 11th in the country in scoring at 15.9 points per game and the 12th-ranked total defense in the nation. The Bulldogs have held each of their last three opponents to less than 10 points.

The Bulldogs secured the top-four seed in the CFP bracket with their SEC Championship win over Alabama.

Georgia football: What to know on Bulldogs vs Ole Miss

Here’s what to know on the Bulldogs:

Stat leaders:

Leading passer: QB Gunner Stockton, 2,691 yards with 23 touchdowns and five interceptions
Leading rusher: RB Nate Frazier, 861 rushing yards with six rushing touchdowns
Leading receiver: WR Zachariah Branch, 744 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns on 73 receptions
Top defender: LB CJ Allen, 85 total tackles, four broken-up passes, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery

How they got here:

Schedule: 12-1 overall, 7-1 in SEC play
Big wins: at Tennessee, vs. Ole Miss, vs. Texas, vs. Georgia Tech, vs. Alabama (SEC Championship)

Playoff history:

Have they been here before? Yes, Georgia has quite the history in the College Football Playoff under Kirby Smart. The Bulldogs are making their fifth appearance in the CFP under Smart this season, and their third trip in the last four seasons. Georgia, which fell to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl last season as a top-four seed, is one of four programs to have won the College Football Playoff at least twice since its inception in 2014.

Georgia vs Ole Miss in CFP quarterfinals time, date, schedule

Date: Thursday, Jan. 1
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Where: Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
TV channel: ESPN
Streaming option: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)

Georgia and Ole Miss will meet in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday, January 1 at 8 p.m. ET inside the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. ESPN will broadcast the game with streaming options consisting of the ESPN app (with a TV login) and Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to new subscribers.