The Southeastern Conference is still adjusting to the new teams that joined its roster when the league expanded. While the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns bring a lot to the SEC, they make things complicated. The league announced that the Ole Miss Rebels will play the Oklahoma Sooners and LSU Tigers each season, and head coach Lane Kiffin is a bit confused.
The Rebels are off to a 4-0 start to the season, placing them near the top of the conference. Oklahoma is also undefeated, setting up an intriguing matchup between the two in late October. According to On3, that game is now an annual matchup. While the two teams should deliver classic games full of talent, it is not the cleanest fit. Kiffin, for one, does not know why the choice was made.
Kiffin is dealing with his daughter's loyalty to LSU as he tries to lead his team. While that is a light-hearted situation, his thoughts on Ole Miss' future schedule made some waves. According to The Athletic's David Ubben, Kiffin does not see why his team should play Oklahoma every season moving forward.
“We don't have anything in common with them. That doesn't make any sense at all,” Kiffin said. “That's unfortunate, but it is what it is.”
The SEC is 16 teams deep, giving the conference a lot of options when it comes to building schedules. However, the fact that neither Oklahoma nor Texas has been in the conference for very long makes setting up rivalry games complicated. Ole Miss' other two annual SEC opponents, LSU and Mississippi State, have a storied history against the Rebels.
Kiffin will have to deal with the Sooners later this season. For now, his focus is on figuring out who Ole Miss' starting quarterback will be moving forward. If the Rebels beat Oklahoma later this season, their College Football Playoff odds would get a big boost.
