ESPN’s College GameDay is coming back to Oxford. For just the third time in program history, the iconic college football pregame show will be set up in the Grove on Saturday ahead of Ole Miss’ matchup against LSU and Lane Kiffin.
For a playoff-contending program that has become increasingly familiar with the national spotlight, hosting GameDay is still a rare occasion.
College GameDay made its first trip to Oxford on Oct. 4, 2014, for what became one of the most memorable weekends in Ole Miss Football history.
The No. 11 Rebels entered the weekend undefeated and hosted No. 3 Alabama in front of a national audience. GameDay set up in the Grove, and pop star Katy Perry served as the celebrity guest picker.
Perry quickly became part of Ole Miss lore, throwing corn dogs into the crowd and picking the Rebels to upset Alabama.
The Rebels defeated the Tide, 23-17 after Senquez Golson intercepted Alabama quarterback Blake Sims in the end zone with 37 seconds left in the game.
Fans stormed the field, the goal posts came down and Ole Miss jumped to No. 3 in the AP Poll.
It was a nearly perfect introduction to Oxford for College GameDay.
The Rebels actually appeared on the show again just three weeks later, this time as the road team. No. 3 Ole Miss traveled to Baton Rouge to face No. 24 LSU with GameDay in town, but the result was much different. LSU handed the Rebels their first loss of the season, 10-7.
Ole Miss returned to the GameDay spotlight the next season for another matchup against Alabama, but this time the Crimson Tide was the home team.
No. 15 Ole Miss entered Bryant-Denny Stadium against No. 2 Alabama and pulled off another upset, defeating the Crimson Tide, 43-37. The win gave Ole Miss back-to-back victories over Alabama for the first time in program history and remains one of the Rebels’ biggest road wins of the modern era.
It took seven years for College GameDay to make its way back to Oxford. The show returned on Nov. 13, 2021, ahead of No. 15 Ole Miss’ matchup against No. 11 Texas A&M.
With Lane Kiffin leading the Rebels to what would become its first 10-win regular season, Oxford was once again in the national spotlight.
GameDay broadcast from campus with Kiffin as the celebrity guest picker. Ole Miss defeated Texas A&M, 29-19 that night in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. This win made the Rebels 2-0 in games with College GameDay in Oxford.
Although the show has not returned to Oxford since 2021, Ole Miss has found itself involved in College GameDay matchups more frequently in recent years.
In 2023, No. 9 Ole Miss traveled to Athens, Ga., for a highly anticipated matchup with No. 2 Georgia. GameDay was there, but the game quickly got away from the Rebels with Georgia winning 52-17.
Two years later, GameDay was back in Athens when undefeated No. 5 Ole Miss faced No. 9 Georgia in October 2025. The Rebels again fell to the Bulldogs, this time, 43-35.
Ole Miss went on to reach the College Football Playoff for the first time later that season. Although GameDay did not travel to Oxford for the Rebels’ first-round playoff win over Tulane or New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl, they were present in Glendale, Ariz., for the Rebel’s Fiesta Bowl loss to Miami.
Now, GameDay is finally coming back to The Grove. The show will broadcast from Oxford Saturday morning before Ole Miss and LSU renew the Magnolia Bowl rivalry that evening at 6:30.
It will be the show’s first trip to Oxford in nearly five years and just its third ever. The first two ended with Ole Miss victories, and now the Rebels have a chance to make it three.
