And then there were four. The semifinal round of the College Football Playoff is upon us, and while one side of the bracket is more or less chalk, Thursday night's Fiesta Bowl features a matchup hardly anyone saw coming between No. 10 seed Miami and No. 6 seed Ole Miss. Both the Hurricanes and Rebels slew giants to get here, and now they're each one win away from playing for a national title.
With kickoff fast approaching, here's everything you need to know about how to watch the 2026 Fiesta Bowl, as well as what to expect once the game begins.
What time does the Fiesta Bowl kick off?
- Date: Jan. 8, 2026
- Kickoff time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Location: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
- Weather factor: None. This is Arizona we're talking about, and State Farm Stadium has a retractable roof anyway.
The Fiesta Bowl between No. 10 Miami and No. 6 Ole Miss is set to kick off on Thursday, Jan. 8, at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be held in Glendale, Ariz., at the usual home of the Arizona Cardinals. That's nearly 2,400 miles away from Coral Gables and over 1,500 miles away from Oxford, so neither team figures to enjoy too much of a home-field advantage.
This is the first of two College Football Playoff semifinals taking place this week. On Friday night, the scene shifts to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the Peach Bowl, where No. 5 seed Oregon will take on top-seeded Indiana in a matchup of Big Ten powers. The winner of these two games will face off in the national championship game on Monday, Jan. 19, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
How to watch and stream the Fiesta Bowl
Thursday's Fiesta Bowl will be broadcast on ESPN, with the network's A-team of Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit in the booth. (The B-team of Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy will handle the Peach Bowl on Friday.)
If you don't have cable, or if you won't be in front of a television, there are still several options available. You can stream the game on the ESPN app or WatchESPN, provided you have either a valid cable login or either an ESPN Unlimited ($29.99 a month or $299.99 a year) or ESPN Select ($11.99 a month or $119.99 a year) subscription plan. Fubo offers a free trial to new users, and the game will also be available via Sling (which offers day passes for $4.99) or YouTube TV (which offers a 21-day free trial).
What to watch for in the Fiesta Bowl between No. 16 Miami and No. 6 Ole Miss
Can Ole Miss hold up in the trenches?
Miami's team is built along both lines of scrimmage, and that's why they've been able to right the ship and reach the CFP semifinals. Offensively, Carson Beck has mostly had to just stay out of the way, as Mark Fletcher (36 carries, 262 yards in two Playoff games so far) and this mammoth offensive line control the rhythm of the game. And defensively, it's all about star edge rushers Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor. If you can't match up with the Canes physically, you're at a disadvantage.
Which raises some potential issues for Ole Miss on Thursday night. The Rebels are fast and full of athletes, but you can push them around a bit — especially on defense, where Ole Miss ranked 62nd in yards per carry allowed (4.8) and gave up 86 on 15 carries to Nate Frazier in the win over Georgia. Pete Golding's defense compensates for that with a ferocious, efficient secondary that takes no quarter. If Miami can run the ball consistently, they're in great shape; if they can't, it could decide the game.
Can Carson Beck avoid making the big mistake?
Of course, Beck is the other half of that equation. We mentioned above that he hasn't been asked to do all that much on this Playoff run so far, and that's the way Miami would like to keep things moving forward. Because when Beck has too much on his plate, he has a penchant for throwing his team out of games — we saw it at Georgia, and we saw it when he threw a combined six INTs in the Canes' two losses during the regular season.
No matter how well Miami controls things on the ground, Beck is going to have to make at least two or three plays on passing downs for his team to win; Ole Miss is too good and too explosive on offense. He was able to come through enough in those situations against Texas A&M and Ohio State. Can he do it for a third game in a row? And if Miami starts getting behind schedule a bit too often, can Beck bail them out?
Can Trinidad Chambliss keep this up?
A transfer from Division II Ferris State who started the season as Austin Simmons' backup, Chambliss has been a revelation since an ankle injury to Simmons thrust him into the starting lineup in September. He's thrown for 3,660 yards on nine yard per attempt with 21 touchdowns and three picks, while adding 520 yards and eight scores on the ground. He can stand in the pocket and make all the throws, but what really sets him apart is what he can do when things break down around him. Just ask Georgia:
Trinidad Chambliss with absolute hero ball on back-to-back scramble drills pic.twitter.com/LXwHiUn1Vv
— Football Digest (@FoootballDigest) January 2, 2026
That feels exceedingly relevant as the Rebels get set to square off against one of the very best pass rushes in the country. Miami harassed Marcel Reed and Julian Sayin all day in consecutive CFP wins, but Reed is erratic as a passer while Sayin doesn't bring a true dual-threat ability under center. Chambliss will be the most dangerous quarterback they've faced so far, and how often the Canes' star edge rushers can not just get pressure but convert that pressure into sacks might decide things in the desert.