Florida and Ole Miss may have spent last season tangled up in Lane Kiffin drama, but this week the mood is a lot lighter.
That makes sense. When Florida and Ole Miss met a year ago, the tension between the fan bases was already running hot.
Florida had fired The Man in the Black Polo and was still chasing Lane Kiffin, who was then coaching Ole Miss. Gators fans even had the running joke that they traveled to Oxford last year to see their next coach.
That whole soap opera ended with nobody getting the prize in the Lane Kiffin Bowl, since Kiffin eventually left for LSU.
This time around, the social media energy has shifted. Instead of another full-scale fight, fans are leaning into a truce of sorts. On X/Twitter, the hashtag #RespectOff is getting attention, and Ole Miss fans in particular are coming off more relaxed than Auburn fans did in their own online back-and-forth.
There’s a practical reason for that, too. Ole Miss just went through a draining week with LSU, and neither side has an obvious reason to walk into Saturday feeling completely secure.
Florida is the favorite, and there are clear paths for the Gators to win behind their explosive offense. Still, the idea of Trinidad Chambliss pushing the ball up and down the field against what’s described as an extremely suspect Florida defense makes this feel like the kind of game where the first team to punt could be in trouble.
Even with the Kiffin baggage, Florida and Ole Miss don’t carry the kind of long-running hatred that comes with some of Florida’s other rivalries. Ole Miss has absolutely left marks on Florida’s story, though.
Tim Tebow’s “The Promise” came after a loss to Ole Miss. The 2015 win with Will Grier had Florida fans thinking bigger things were ahead.
And the 2024 win helped keep The Man in the Black Polo and knocked Ole Miss out of the playoff picture.
So the connection is real. The animosity, not quite as much.
That also lines up with one of the offseason calls that backed Florida to win this matchup. The thought was simple enough: home field and Ole Miss having to survive the LSU circus the week before made the Gators the swing worth taking.
“If you are Ole Miss, this game has trap potential all over it.”
And if Ole Miss comes in a little flatter than Florida fans would prefer, there may be no argument from the Gators side.
In Other News...
Florida Ole Miss Just Got Even Bigger In Gainesville
Gainesville is getting the full national spotlight before Ole Miss visits in Week 4, with SEC Network announcing that SEC Nation will broadcast live from campus on Saturday morning. The pregame show starts at 9 a.m. ET and will feature Tim Tebow along with the rest of the crew, setting the stage for a marquee SEC matchup that has already drawn plenty of attention.
The timing only adds to the buzz around a game that pits No. 4 Ole Miss against No. 21 Florida in the late afternoon window on ABC. For the Gators, the visit from SEC Nation is another sign that this one has the feel of a bigger moment than a typical conference game, with the buildup stretching well beyond kickoff at 3:30 p.m. ET. [Read more 🡒]
Kahleil Jackson Earned A Florida Moment Fans Wont Forget
Kahleil Jackson delivered one of those flash-point moments Florida fans will remember from the Auburn game, when the wide receiver stepped into a trick-play role and uncorked a 48-yard pass to tight end Amir Jackson. The play helped set up a field goal and had been in the playbook for two weeks before Florida finally found the right look to call it, with the defenses alignment giving the Gators the opening they wanted.
For Jackson, the moment carried extra weight because it came after a long stretch of recovery from previous injuries, and Florida coach Jon Sumrall also pointed to the play as a reflection of how the staff and players had prepared for the opportunity. It was the kind of sequence that can change the feel of a game in a hurry, and it added another layer to a season already marked by Jackson trying to get back to form and back into the spotlight. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Finally Has A Real Shot To Sway Five Star Receiver
Easton Royal is giving Florida one more meaningful chance to make its case this weekend, with the five-star receiver and current Texas commitment set to visit Gainesville. For the Gators, the timing matters. Royal has been one of the more electric playmakers in the high school cycle, coming off a junior season packed with all-purpose production and touchdowns, and Florida will try to show him how he could fit into an offense that has started to regain some traction under Jon Sumrall and Buster Faulkner.
Even with the visit on the calendar, Royal has not decommitted from Texas, which keeps Florida in chase mode rather than control mode. The Gators are clearly in the mix, and LSU has also been mentioned as a possible landing spot if the recruitment shifts, but this weekend is the kind of window Florida has been waiting for. For a staff looking to close on elite talent, getting Royal on campus is step one, and the next move will say plenty about how real the swing is. [Read more 🡒]