In A Perfect World, What Non-Conference Opponents Would Ole Miss Face in Football?

If you're a Rebel fan, what destinations are on your college football bucket list?

Football schedules are settled years in advance, so this is a purely hypothetical exercise. 

It's very rare that a school will place a team on its schedule for the following season. Those wrinkles are ironed out long before the games are actually played, and sometimes that leads to strange matchups when that time comes around. 

Where a program will be in five or more years is almost impossible to predict given the current state of NIL, the transfer portal and coaching carousels. Still, if the Ole Miss Rebels were to put together a perfect non-conference schedule based on the current college football landscape, what would that look like?

Each fan's perspective of what makes a "good" home-and-home is different depending on what that particular fan values. It could be program culture, competitiveness, stadiums, etc. 

With that in mind, here are some non-conference opponents that come to my mind that would be fun for the Rebels. Note that my opinions could change from day-to-day, and this isn't a perfect science, but I believe these games would make a lot of sense.

Jackson State

This likely wouldn't be a home-and-home, but it's worth mentioning.

At SEC Media Days on Monday, Lane Kiffin stated that he would be open to facing his HBCU counterpart in the Magnolia State that is currently led by Deion Sanders. The Rebels have never faced an HBCU within their state in football, although that will change in 2028 when Alcorn State comes to town.

Still, in a perfect world where Kiffin and Sanders are still the head coach at their respective institutions, this would grab plenty of headlines for the state of Mississippi, and even though Ole Miss would be the more talented team on the field, the quotes would be enough to make this enjoyable.

Plus, JSU has a great band. Let it perform at halftime.

USC

This is one that is already on the upcoming schedule, but given the history of Kiffin, Jaxson Dart and Michael Trigg at USC, we all wish this matchup was coming earlier.

A trip to the West Coast isn't always enjoyable for those of us living in the central time zone, but there are plenty of eyes and fans in Los Angeles. You could do a lot worse than taking your SEC program across the country to face one of the top brands (even if it isn't currently a top program) in college football. 

Michigan

With the strange story arc connecting Ole Miss and Michigan during the Rebels' NCAA troubles, having Kiffin and Jim Harbaugh face off in a home-and-home would draw tons of hype and national eyes. It could even jokingly be called the "Shea Patterson Game" which I'm sure would draw grimaces from both fan bases.

Oxford would be a zoo if Michigan were to come to town. The same could be said for Ann Arbor if an SEC West school came knocking on the door. Both of these universities have unique cultures, and seeing those mesh on the football field would be fun.

Wisconsin

"Jump Around" and another home-and-home with a Big Ten school. It's hard not to get excited (at least in my mind) when two conflicting football philosophies compete on the gridiron. 

Ole Miss is fast-paced and spreads the ball around. Wisconsin is still very ground-and-pound, but this matchup would be more about culture than anything else. Also, Madison and Oxford might run out of alcohol if Badger and Rebel fans were in the same town for a weekend.

Virginia Tech

I've never been to Blacksburg, but I'm told that it's pretty cool.

Per people who would know, Virginia Tech's culture is similar to SEC schools, and this trip isn't that far, especially compared to Los Angeles or Ann Arbor. Building a home-and-home with the Hokies would bring a lot to both communities, neither of which are sprawling metropolises but revolve around their respective universities.

Honorable Mentions

North Carolina

Notre Dame

UCLA

Clemson

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