Ole Miss, USC football series in 2025-26 won't be played, Rebels AD says

The head-to-head football games between the SEC and Big Ten teams will not be played after all.

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The home-and-home college football series between Ole Miss and USC won't be played in 2025 and 2026 after all, Rebels athletic director Keith Carter has said.

That decision comes as Carter says he expects the SEC will move to playing nine conference games on its football schedule by that point.

"I think that's going to happen," Carter said, via The Clarion Ledger. "I think you're seeing some of these more marquee matchups maybe coming off the books because of that."

Carter added: "If you look at USC, they're going to the Big Ten and they're playing nine conference games now. I think that's probably in our future, too."

As of right now, the SEC plays eight conference games, and while commissioner Greg Sankey didn't offer an update as to if or when a ninth game would be added, the consensus around the league is that a decision to add the extra matchup could come in the near future.

"We're actually a little bit on hold from a scheduling perspective right now until we know what the SEC schedule is gonna look like moving forward," Carter said.

The games between Ole Miss and USC were originally announced in the spring of 2020, not long after Carter hired Lane Kiffin to coach the Rebels football program.

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