Missouri and Ole Miss will have to settle for a different stage on Saturday, and that decision didn’t sit well with everyone.
The No. 13 Tigers and No.
9 Rebels are set for a SEC Network broadcast at 3:30 p.m. ET, even though the matchup is one of the biggest games on the SEC’s Week 7 slate.
According to St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Eli Hoff, it is the first meeting between top-13 SEC teams to miss out on ABC since the “SEC on ABC” deal began in 2024.
That makes the broadcast choice stand out even more when you look at the rest of the day. The SEC has three games featuring ranked opponents, plus Kentucky-Oklahoma after both teams knocked off top-10 opponents, and Auburn-Georgia in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.
With so many marquee games lined up, somebody was going to get bumped. Missouri and Ole Miss ended up being the ones.
Hoff noted that there have been 12 regular-season SEC-SEC games between teams ranked inside the top 13 since the deal started, and all 12 had been shown on ABC until this one.
No. 13 #Mizzou and No. 9 Ole Miss have the right to feel snubbed that they'll be playing on SEC Network on Saturday.
Since the SEC on ABC deal began in 2024, there have been 12 reg season SEC-SEC games b/t teams ranked inside the top 13. All have been on ABC - until this one. pic.twitter.com/WpknlDw0B1
- Eli Hoff (@byEliHoff) October 11, 2026
Missouri fans responded the way you’d expect: by taking the slight personally, and in some cases wearing it like a badge of honor.
It's fine. This is what we want. Keep the disrespect flowing.
- Ben Truetken (@bentruetken) October 11, 2026
Brand rankings matter more than AP rankings.
- 小丑 (@TheMan0fTheMole) October 11, 2026
There’s no embarrassment in being slotted behind Alabama-Tennessee and Auburn-Georgia in the same window. But the Tigers and Rebels do bring plenty of weight to the day, and the matchup carries more College Football Playoff implications than the game in Athens. It could also wind up with more at stake than Alabama-Tennessee, where Tennessee is still trying to sort out the quarterback position.
In Other News...
Lane Kiffin Took Another Shot At Ole Miss Territory
Lane Kiffin didnt have to look far to find a familiar storyline in his latest press session at LSU. The former Ole Miss coach was asked about Austin Simmons, the quarterback he once coached in Oxford, and the topic quickly turned into one that still carries plenty of interest around the Rebels. Simmons spent the 2023 through 2025 seasons at Ole Miss before transferring to Missouri, setting up an SEC matchup that will naturally draw extra attention from both fan bases.
Kiffin praised Simmons long-term NFL upside, even floating the kind of first-round buzz that always follows a quarterback with a strong development arc. He also brushed up against college footballs tampering conversation with a few light comments, a reminder that the transfer era has made these cross-conference reunions more complicated and more public than ever. For Ole Miss, the storyline is bigger than one game on the schedule. It is another chance to see a former quarterback in a new uniform, with the added wrinkle of hearing Kiffin still taking a few shots in Rebel territory. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Brings A Dangerous Twist To This Huge Oxford Test
Missouri arrives in Oxford with the kind of profile that tends to make October feel a little more serious. The Tigers are ranked 13th nationally and have stacked back-to-back wins over Florida and Texas A&M, which gives Ole Miss a clear read on how dangerous this matchup can be if Missouri carries that momentum into the weekend.
The twist for the Rebels is a familiar one, because Austin Simmons and Cayden Lee are now in Missouri colors and have been part of what has made the Tigers so effective this season. Missouris defense has also shown it can travel, most recently by slowing Florida running back Jadan Baugh after he had hurt Ole Miss in an earlier meeting, which only adds to the challenge staring down the Rebels in Oxford. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Is Winning Differently And That Should Excite Rebels Fans
Ole Miss left Nashville with another win, but the part that should catch Rebels fans is how the offense is piling up points these days. In a game where the scoring came from all over the roster, Trinidad Chambliss and Jam Brown each found the end zone, and the Rebels kept doing what has become a theme this season by finishing every trip inside the red zone.
Suntarine Perkins added a different kind of highlight, scoring the first touchdown of his career while also reaching his 20th career sack. Seven touchdowns from seven different players is the kind of spread that says plenty about how deep this team can be, and it gives Ole Miss a look that feels both balanced and dangerous as the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]