Ole Miss' Upcoming Home-and-Home Series vs. USC Canceled - Report

The Ole Miss Rebels and USC Trojans will reportedly not square off in the 2025 and 2026 seasons.

Dec 30, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin shown at the end of the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports | Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

One of the more-anticipated non-conference matchups on the Ole Miss Rebels' upcoming schedule will not take place, reports on Tuesday have indicated.

According to Michael Katz of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, the Rebels' home-and-home series against the USC Trojans has been canceled. The two teams were scheduled to meet in Los Angeles in 2025 and in Oxford in 2026, and it would have been the first games all-time between the two programs.

Not only would this have been a meeting between two strong college football brands, but this series also had plenty of storylines to appeal to the average fan. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin was an assistant coach at USC from 2001-06 and returned as the team's head coach for the 2010-13 seasons.

Kiffin's time as head coach at USC saw him compile a 43-28 record before he was fired just five games into the 2013 campaign. After this infamous "firing on the tarmac," Kiffin took the offensive coordinator job at Alabama and was later the head coach at Florida Atlantic before accepting the head coaching position at Ole Miss prior to the 2020 season.

Although Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart is entering his final year of college football and wouldn't have faced the Trojans in 2025 or 2026, that's another connection between Ole Miss and USC. Dart previously suited up for the Trojans before entering the transfer portal and coming to Oxford prior to the 2022 season.

All the focus for the Rebels is currently on the 2024 campaign where they hope to earn their first College Football Playoff berth in school history. The season will open for Ole Miss at home on Aug. 31 when it plays host to the FCS Furman Paladins.