Ole Miss gets a surprise as new permanent SEC opponents list is leaked

We didn't have to wait until Tuesday to find Ole Miss' permanent opponents for the next four years (is it really permanent if it's just four years??). And there is a big surprise on the list.

According to a graphic dropped by On3/Rivals' SEC reporter Chris Low, Ole Miss will have Mississippi State (duh), LSU and... Oklahoma. 

Oklahoma? Yes, Oklahoma is the third opponent.

There was no surprise at all that the Egg Bowl is being preserved and will likely remain on Thanksgiving week. And it was expected that the Magnolia Bowl would also stay part of the regular rotation.

As for the third opponent, there was a lot of speculation that it was going to be Arkansas, given the history of that series, but others thought it might be Texas A&M. Still, I don't think anyone expected Oklahoma and that announcement hasn't been very well received so far.

A chance to build a new rivalry?

The history between Ole Miss and Oklahoma is pretty light. They only played twice, and the Rebels won both games. Their first meeting was in the 1999 Independence Bowl, which Ole Miss won 27-25 behind nearly 200 yards of offense from Deuce McAllister and a last-second field goal from Les Binkley.

That was Bob Stoops' first year at Oklahoma and the Sooners showed a sample of what they would become as the once run-heavy program threw for 390 yards behind the arm of now-Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel.

The second meeting was a 26-14 Ole Miss win last season at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oklahoma's first year as a conference opponent. The Sooners actually had a 14-10 lead at the half, but Jaxson Dart came alive and the Rebels' defense pitched a shutout in the second half. 

It's not exactly the opponent Ole Miss fans may have wanted, but there's nothing wrong with Oklahoma. It's a program with some rich history and the Sooners has been a blue blood for the decades. It looks like the program is rallying this season behind coach Brent Venables and I expect many of the Ole Miss faithful to mark down the Rebels' first road trip to Norman as a bucket list item.