Georgia Football: The history between Georgia vs Ole Miss

Georgia Football takes on the Ole Miss Rebels in a top-ten match on Saturday. This game has everything: Ole Miss trying to keep their CFP hopes alive, like the Dawgs. Georgia is trying to seal the SEC East and get closer to the SEC record of wins in a row—a lot on the line. I can feel the fan base “Munsoning” right now as I type! But many who will be viewing this game with no rooting interest will not understand the history these two schools have and how similar they are.

Culturally, Ole Miss and Georgia are incredibly familiar.  I don’t want to bore you with the similarities, but when visiting Oxford for a college visit, I saw the place as an Athens-lite. But you clicked on the blog for the history between the two schools, and I appreciate you reading about Georgia’s football history. Not to go on a rant, but Georgia’s recent success has brought on a ton of bandwagoners. It’s something I genuinely hate, but it is just a byproduct of winning.

Those of you reading this live-and-die-by-Georgia football were there when times were bleak. You know the names of the past and appreciate the history of the program you love because it gives you insight into the context of the success Georgia is having right now. Or you just love reading about history. Either way, you are unlike many in my generation who deem the past insignificant because they were not born yet. Alright, enough already; back to Ole Miss and Georgia football history.

Georgia and Ole Miss first started playing in 1940. Relatively recent in both school’s football playing history. I found that to be interesting. The first match-up was held in Athens, and the Dawgs lost 28-14. Though the Rebels won the first game, the Dawgs have owned this series. Georgia’s first win against the Rebels took place in 1942 in Memphis. Georgia won that game 48-13.

Georgia and Ole Miss played infrequently after the 1942 season. They both played against each other in 1955 and 1966. 1966, however, is the start of both schools playing on an annual basis. From 1966 to 2002, Georgia and Ole Miss played each other every year, which shocked me. When looking back at games played in history, I just ignored the fact Georgia played Ole Miss every year. During that span, Ole Miss only won 10 times against the Dawgs, as Georgia won 25 times against the Rebels.

This new information also brought me to question why did we stop playing Ole Miss every year. So, if anybody has the answer, please let me know. I tried Google for a specific reason and could not find one.

Anyway, the Dawgs have 32 wins in the series and have only lost 12 times to the Rebels. There was also a tie in the series in 1941. Two months before Pearl Harbor. So, does it count? The game has been played in Oxford and Athens, but it has also been played in Jackson, MS, Memphis, TN, and Atlanta, GA.

The last time these two squared off was in 2016—Kirby Smart’s first year as head coach at Georgia. The Dawgs got walloped in that game 45-14 to an excellent Hugh Freeze lead Ole Miss team. However, that game does not count or exist in the official record books because the NCAA vacated the win. So, the Dawgs have a 10-game winning streak against the Rebels.

This year’s game will be played Between the Hedges inside Sanford Stadium. It will be the first time Ole Miss has come to Athens since 2012. It took 11 years before Ole Miss came back to Athens, thanks to the SEC rotation. Thanks guys! Georgia has yet to make a trip to College Station to play Texas A&M, and it does not look like they have for some time.

Georgia and Ole Miss for the 46th time. This game has the makings to be one of the more significant times these two have faced off. I hope that it’s not memorable and the Dawgs roll. But given what the bookmakers think, it will be a close one.