Lane Kiffin Reacts to Wake Forest’s Latest Move After Cancelling Ole Miss Game
Lane Kiffin's No. 5 Ole Miss Rebels have been a powerhouse so far this season, dominating their opponents with a combined score of 168-9. This gives them the No. 2 scoring offense and ties them for the No. 1 scoring defense in the country.
Last Saturday, Ole Miss continued their strong start with a 40-6 victory over ACC opponent Wake Forest, playing on the road in Winston-Salem. While it wasn't as high-scoring as their previous games, it was still a resounding win. However, controversy soon followed, as Wake Forest abruptly canceled the second leg of the home-and-home series, which was scheduled to be played in Oxford, Mississippi next year.
Kiffin didn't hide his frustration regarding the cancellation.
"That's rarely ever done," Kiffin said, according to the Associated Press . "I've never really heard of doing it, and it really puts us at a big disadvantage. It is what it is. It obviously wasn't appreciated very much, them putting us in that situation.
"Now we've got to go find somebody and most people are all scheduled up. And even when you find somebody, you've got to go pay them. It's kind of an unwritten rule not to do that, actually."
On Wednesday, Brett McMurphy of Action Network reported that Wake Forest and Oregon State had arranged a home-and-home series, with the Beavers hosting in Corvallis in 2025, replacing the Ole Miss game, and Wake Forest hosting Oregon State in 2029.
Kiffin, never one to shy away from expressing his opinion on social media, responded to McMurphy's announcement with a face palm emoji on X, highlighting his discontent with the situation.
Originally, Ole Miss was set to host Wake Forest on Sept. 13 of next year, and now, the Rebels are left scrambling to find a replacement. It's uncertain how Ole Miss will proceed, but they face the difficult task of securing a Power Four opponent or applying for a waiver from the Southeastern Conference, which would allow them to play four nonconference teams without a Power Four or major independent school on the schedule.
Once Ole Miss finalizes its plans for next year, it's likely Kiffin will have more to say about the situation.
This story was originally published September 18, 2024, 12:43 PM.
