Mississippi State No Longer One Of Ole Miss Football's Biggest Rivals

An in-state rivalry of old makes room for two new rivalries that has just reached another level of hate.

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Pete Golding smiles from the stage after defeating the Georgia Bulldogs during the 2026 Sugar Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Caesars Superdome. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

One of the greatest traditions in college football is intense rivalries.

Ole Miss has its fair share of rivals, but two of the biggest ones have really come alive in recent years. Ole Miss has always had its rivalry with Mississippi State. Separated by 95 miles, the battle between the Rebels and the Bulldogs determines immense bragging rights in the state of Mississippi.

However, two new rivalries have begun to brew for the Rebels. The LSU Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs are now enemies of the Rebels.

The LSU Tigers

Ole Miss’s number one rival is the LSU Tigers. After Lane Kiffin left the Rebels' right before their historic playoff run last year to take the Tigers' coaching job, Ole Miss fans everywhere hate LSU more than ever.  

Kiffin was loved in Oxford ever since he got there, but when he left the way he did, there wasn’t a soul in Northern Mississippi that would tolerate that man. Ole Miss players will rarely say his name anymore. In an interview conducted with Ole Miss kicker Lucas Carneiro, he referred to Kiffin as “The Coach”.  

LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Rebels have had some great back-and-forth games against LSU. This includes a 55-49 shootout that went the Rebels' way in 2023, an overtime thriller that the Tigers won 29-26 in Death Valley the following year and the most recent game the then #13-ranked Rebels upset the #4-ranked Tigers 24-13 in Vaught Hemenway Stadium.

After the way “The Coach” had conducted himself when leaving Ole Miss, and in a recent interview he did with Vanity Fair. Rebel fans can’t wait for the Tigers to come into Oxford in week three this upcoming fall.

The Gerogia Bulldogs

Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton passes the ball against the Mississippi Rebels | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Ole Miss’s rivalry with the Georgia Bulldogs allows for its drama to be on the field. In 2023, the Rebels came into Athens and got crushed by the Bulldogs 52-17. It wasn’t pretty, but this lit a fire for the Rebels.

In 2024, Georgia traveled to Oxford and was upset in the Mississippi rain when the Rebels beat them 28-10.

Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Antwane Wells Jr. catches the ball for a touchdown over Georgia Bulldogs defensive back KJ Bolden | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

After two years of one-sided affairs, the rivalry reached a new level in the 2025-26 season. The first matchup between them took place on a crisp October day in Athens. The #5-ranked, undefeated Rebels had a target on their back from a stadium of 93,000 Georgia fans barking uncontrollably at them.

The Rebels silenced the crowd for most of the game. They scored a touchdown on their first five drives of the game. The might of the Bulldogs then came into play. Late in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs' defense got many clutch stops and would end up winning the game 43-35.

The Dogs and the Rebels then met again with even higher stakes in the college football playoffs. The 2026 All-State Sugar Bowl featured just about every ounce of drama that could be squeezed out of the Georgia and Ole Miss rivalry towel.

The game started out the Bulldogs' way. They were winning 21-12 at halftime. The Rebels fought back in the second half. After a late go-ahead field goal and just about the weirdest last two minutes of a football game, the Rebels beat Georgia 39-34 and got their revenge on one of the biggest stages the Rebels have been on in recent years.

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy pose with the Sugar Bowl trophy | Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Rivalries make college football much more than a sport. It is a theatre production. Each rivalry game adds to the drama and hatred between schools.

The Rebels will have two new acts coming in 2026. They take on the Tigers in week three and the Bulldogs in week 11. Both teams are coming to Oxford and will be greeted with some nice Southern Hostility. 

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