Georgia had a chance to play Carson Beck and Miami in the College Football Playoff semifinals, unfortunately they came up short against Ole Miss. UGA fans however will still be paying really close attention to this matchup Thursday night because either their former QB will be playing for a National Championship or another SEC team.
Beck has been at the center of the media's attention all week, and in one statement he said that his time at Georgia is actually helping him prepare for this matchup against Ole Miss.
Miami QB Carson Beck talked about watching both Georgia vs Ole Miss games from this season.
— Matt DeGregorio (@Matt_DeGregorio) January 7, 2026
Beck said playing for Georgia made it easier to break down Ole Miss film: pic.twitter.com/lKuLLMorKl
Carson Beck credits Georgia ahead of CFP showdown vs Ole Miss
Beck has played against Ole Miss twice in his college career. His first year as a starter at Georgia in 2023 the Rebels came to Athens ranked No. 11 in the country, but the Bulldogs blew them out 52-17. One year later Georgia made a return trip to Oxford where Ole Miss got their revenge 28-10.
Had Beck stayed at Georgia this season he would've played Ole Miss once again, but he made the move to Miami instead. He however will get his third chance to play the Rebels Thursday night when he faces them in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Ole Miss is without their former head coach Lane Kiffin, so one might assume they will look very different compared to when Beck played them in the past. That however has proven to not be the case as Ole Miss has continued to play a similar style of football without Kiffin. So Beck will be able to draw on his experience from playing Ole Miss in 2023 and 2024 to help him get ready for this matchup, and that is the exact thing he spoke about with the media above.
Kickoff between Miami and Ole Miss is scheduled for 7:30 pm EST on Thursday, Jan. 8. The Hurricanes are favored by 3.5 points, but Georgia found out last week how irrelevant that actually is.