Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin says Wake Forest violated “an unwritten rule” by buying its way out of next year's matchup, leaving the Rebels looking for another major conference opponent.
The fifth-ranked Rebels defeated the Demon Deacons 40-6 on Saturday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, as part of a scheduled home-and-away series. There will be no rematch next season in Oxford, Mississippi.
A person with knowledge of the decision confirmed that Wake Forest had canceled next year's trip to Ole Miss and said the school is looking into alternative scheduling options. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because the school is not commenting publicly on the details.
Kiffin broke the news about that decision at his postgame press conference and two days later he still wasn't happy with the timing.
“That's rarely done,” Kiffin said Monday. “I've never heard of it being done and it really puts us at a huge disadvantage. It is what it is. Obviously it wasn't very well received that we were put in that situation.”
“Now we have to find someone and most people already have a contract. And even when you find someone, you have to pay them. It's actually kind of an unwritten rule not to do that.”
The decision leaves Ole Miss with the obligation to either find another Power 4 conference (or major independent league) opponent for next season or seek a waiver from the Southeastern Conference to meet that requirement. Obtaining a waiver would mean facing four non-conference teams, without having an opponent from one of the four major leagues.
“That's not what we want to do, but we may have been put in an unavoidable position not to do it,” Kiffin said.
He disagreed with the timing of the decision.
“I actually find it surprising that you wait until game week to tell the team,” Kiffin said.
The game was scheduled for September 13, 2025.
