TLDR: The planned home-and-home football series between USC and Ole Miss has been canceled. With USC preparing for an intensified schedule as it transitions to the Big Ten and Ole Miss anticipating a shift in the SEC’s conference games structure, both teams found it necessary to mutually call off the games. Originally set in motion in May 2020, the series was to take place with games in Los Angeles and Oxford in 2025 and 2026, respectively. The cancellation has many layers, including connections to Lane Kiffin, previously a head coach at USC and now the head coach at Ole Miss, and Jaxson Dart, a quarterback who transferred from USC to Ole Miss. With the cancellation, USC is left seeking new non-conference opponents for its future football schedules as the date approaches. This comes shortly after reports surfaced about USC possibly withdrawing from another major non-conference engagement in 2024 against LSU, raising questions among fans about their scheduling strategy.

The much-anticipated USC-Ole Miss football series has officially been called off. This decision comes as USC grapples with an increasingly demanding schedule in preparation for its move to the Big Ten. Meanwhile, Ole Miss anticipates a change in the Southeastern Conference’s format, likely transitioning from eight to nine conference games in 2026. Both universities have agreed to mutually cancel the planned home-and-home matchups, removing the games originally scheduled for August 2025 in Los Angeles and 2026 in Oxford.

The clash between these two teams had been in the pipeline since May 2020, less than six months after Ole Miss appointed Lane Kiffin as their head coach. Kiffin’s past tenure as head coach at USC from 2010 to 2013 added an intriguing layer for fans of both programs, rekindling old connections. His ties remain, as his daughter Landry attends Ole Miss, while his younger daughter Presley has committed to USC’s volleyball team, weaving personal and professional stories through the teams involved.

Beyond Kiffin, the games carried additional narrative weight due to Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, who transitioned from USC following the arrival of Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams. Dart, who became USC’s starting quarterback in 2021, sparked interest among fans between his past stint with the Trojans and his current role with the Rebels, although he won’t feature if the games had taken place, due to his expected graduation in 2024.

Simultaneously, this cancellation follows recent reports that USC has been actively seeking to exit the 2024 season’s Vegas Kickoff Classic against LSU. Rumors surfaced about this decision around the same time as the Ole Miss series speculation, sparking debate among fans about USC’s management of non-conference games and whether strategic decisions are influenced by competition level concerns.

With these developments, USC’s athletic departments are now tasked with identifying new non-conference opponents for the Upcoming seasons after 2024. Fans remain watchful, ready to see how the Trojans adjust their schedules amidst changing conference dynamics and upcoming Big Ten demands. As scheduling discussions proceed, the anticipation continues—will the Trojans face teams of similar stature, or opt for new narrative opportunities?