Oklahoma State will play Ole Miss in Sugar Bowl

The Rebels are 2-0 against Oklahoma State, beating the Cowboys 31-28 in 2004 and 21-7 in 2010. They needed Alabama to defeat Florida in the Southeastern Conference championship game Saturday to finalize their trip to New Orleans, which the Crimson Tide did, 29-15.

An official announcement will come this afternoon.

The Sugar Bowl is set for 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 1, 2016.

The Sugar Bowl was once the postseason destination of the SEC champion, but today’s landscape is different. That team defeated St. Mary’s 33-13.

The last time Ole Miss played in the Sugar Bowl, Archie Manning was at quarterback.

The annual Sugar Bowl is still about a month away but the host city of New Orleans is already a big victor.

The Sooners, ranked fourth, has made it to the playoff portion of the year. That scenario would likely have left 9-3 Ole Miss in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

Hugh Freeze becomes first Ole Miss coach not named John Vaught to lead the Rebels to the Sugar Bowl.

Oklahoma State and Ole Miss have twice met in the Cotton Bowl, the last time in 2010. Both games were in the Cotton Bowl. Even as the Sugar Bowl isn’t part of the College Football Playoff this season, with SEC and Big 12 tie-ins the matchup promises to be a titanic clash as it nearly always in.