The 2020 home-and-home series between Ole Miss and USC has been canceled, according to athletic director Keith Carter.
The new dates for the series are 2025 (Los Angeles) and 2026 (Oxford). The game was supposed to pit Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin against the school that famously dismissed him in 2013. This high-profile series is the most recent to be canceled because of how quickly college football is evolving.
Prior to the 2024 football season, which calls for nine conference games, USC joins the Big Ten. The Trojans already have a busy schedule, but they are one of the few that doesn’t hesitate to play multiple Power 4 programs in nonconference play. Add in an annual rivalry game with Notre Dame.
For the time being, the SEC’s conference schedule consists of eight games, but Carter informs The Clarion-Ledger that the number could soon rise to nine. Carter stated, “I think that’s going to happen.” “I believe that some of these more high-profile matchups may be dropping from the schedule as a result. Take a look at USC, who will play nine league games this season before joining the Big Ten. That, I believe, is also likely in our future.
Many new matchups are created by conference realignment, particularly with Oklahoma and Texas entering the SEC and Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington moving to the Big Ten. Although it will take some time for the new conference games to become familiar and comfortable, the major reorganization of the sport has unfortunately resulted in a decline in excellent nonconference contests.
Ole Miss and USC, which began playing football in 1893 and 1888 respectively, have never faced off on the gridiron. With Tuesday’s announcement, it seems unlikely that they will in a regular season game for the foreseeable future.
That robs fans of the opportunity to see Kiffin face the program that made him the subject of perhaps the most infamous firing in college football history. After a 2013 loss to Arizona State, which dropped his record to 3-2 and 28-15 overall with the Trojans, Kiffin was fired after the team landed at LAX.
The Ole Miss coach is one of the most fun figures in college football, both for his impressive comeback story and his dedication to being the sport’s preeminent troll. Kiffin was fired as head coach of the Oakland Raiders after just 20 games, after Al Davis hired him at 31 years old. He left the head job at Tennessee for USC after just a year, and had some early success with the Trojans before flaming out early in his fourth season. After becoming one of the earliest examples of Nick Saban’s coaching rehabilitation program at Alabama, Kiffin rebounded at FAU and now has Ole Miss squarely in the College Football Playoff conversation entering 2024.
Kiffin’s trips to Tennessee have been must-watch affairs, with Vols fans throwing objects onto the field during a tight win for the Rebels in Knoxville back in 2021. While we certainly don’t need a repeat of that incident, the atmosphere in L.A. for Kiffin vs. Lincoln Riley in 2025 would have been incredible. The Rebels coach would have absolutely stoked those flames on social media for weeks ahead of the game.
Now, we’ll have to settle for Ole Miss hosting Wake Forest and Tulane in 2025, a true shame compared to what would have been one of the season’s most anticipated games.
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