The SEC has officially released the three annual opponents for each of its teams over the next four years. This comes in preparation for the conference moving to nine conference games starting in 2026. With the announcement, the conference said they were trying to focus on geography , while keeping a competitive balance for everyone. For most teams, there were a few obvious choices that were almost guaranteed (Florida-Georgia, Alabama-Auburn, etc.).But there were also a few questions about who could end up getting matched together. Ole Miss was no different. We all knew generally who the Rebels’ annual opponents would be. But the announcement did come with one surprise that has many people questioning whether it was the right choice.
Ole Miss’s New Annual Opponents Starting in 2026
In terms of Ole Miss’s annual opponents, we all essentially knew who two of the three would be. And we were proven right. The third came as a huge surprise. So, who are the three, and did the SEC do a good job with the Rebels’ opponents?
Mississippi State
This was the obvious answer. There was no way the SEC was going to break up the Egg Bowl. The two schools have played every year since 1944, and have met 121 times total. Mississippi State is also far and away the closest SEC opponent for Ole Miss. Oxford and Starkville are separated by only 75 miles.
Despite the fact that the Rebels hold a relatively comfortable lead in terms of series record, it’s always an intense and bitter rivalry, regardless of what each program’s record may be that season. It’s also had numerous memorable moments over the years. The most recent of these is arguably the 2019 Egg Bowl. Elijah Moore’s unfortunate touchdown celebration led to an Ole Miss loss, which proved to be the last straw for head coach Matt Luke, and ultimately led to the hiring of Lane Kiffin. With a Rebel win in that matchup, there’s a good chance Luke keeps his job. If that had been the case, there’s a good chance Kiffin never would have ended up in Oxford.
It’s rare that you can essentially point at one single play that changes the trajectory of an entire program, but that’s what Moore’s celebration did. And that’s just one small example of some of the chaos that the Egg Bowl has caused over the years.
LSU
This was the other opponent that was almost a certainty. The Magnolia Bowl between LSU and Ole Miss has been played 106 times, dating back to the first meeting in 1894. The 107th meeting is set to be played this weekend when the Tigers visit Oxford.
And while it doesn’t hold quite the same hostility as the Egg Bowl, these programs despise each other. Even though it hasn’t been a tremendously competitive rivalry, the bitterness is still there. For the series, LSU leads 65-38, with three ties, as well. The good news for Ole Miss fans is that the series has become more competitive with Kiffin’s arrival. In the five Magnolia Bowls with Kiffin at Ole Miss, LSU only leads 3-2. And two of the three Rebel losses have been by five points or less.
It’s been a competitive series recently, and likely will continue to be, at least for as long as Kiffin stays at Ole Miss. This simply wasn’t a rivalry the SEC was going to lose.
Which Brings Us to the Final Opponent… Oklahoma?
If we are being honest, this one makes no sense. Maybe there’s a slight argument being made for “competitive balance”, but that’s about it. In terms of interest, this one couldn’t be any less interesting for the two schools. They’ve only met twice in football. The matchup upcoming in a few weeks will be the third. There’s no animosity, there’s no rivalry. For Rebel fans, the good news is that they’ve won the first two meetings.
The two better options were certainly either Arkansas or Vanderbilt. There’s a real rivalry for both of them (yes, even Vanderbilt), and it would’ve garnered plenty of interest. Sure, you probably lose a bit of competitive balance, but potentially not that much. Especially when you see Clark Lea doing big things for the Commodores as of late. On the Arkansas side, Kiffin seems to enjoy getting former Razorbacks out of the transfer portal. That in and of itself has created some tension between the two programs.
Needless to say, this one is a bit of a head scratcher. But there’s a lot in the SEC lately that really doesn’t make much sense.
So for Ole Miss fans, who knows? Is it time to create a rivalry with the Sooners? It may not work, but it looks like it’s going to be worth a shot.
Main Image: Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
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