TV channel, game time set for Rebels’ road game at South Carolina

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — In your future planning, don’t book anything the afternoon of Oct. 5. That’s when Ole Miss’ game at South Carolina will kick off at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN, the league office announced Monday.

It will mark the 18th all-time meeting between the Rebels and Gamecocks, but the first trip to Columbia for the Rebels since 2009. The Rebels hold a 9-8 edge in the series overall, with the record currently tied 4-4 in Columbia, SC.

That game in 2009 is not something Ole Miss fans have fond memories about. It was Houston Nutt’s second team and they took a No. 4 ranking on the road and suffered an embarrassing 16-10 loss.

Two weeks later Ole Miss was knocked out of the rankings after a 22-3 loss to Alabama and they stumbled to a 9-4 record after a Cotton Bowl win (the first ever at AT&T Stadium in Arlington) over Oklahoma State.

This week, No. 6 Ole Miss (4-0) hosts Kentucky (2-2, 0-2 SEC) for its Homecoming matchup Saturday. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and live on ABC.

That will set the tone for the game with South Carolina in a year where the Rebels are entering SEC play looking to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff, expanded this year to 14 teams. Right now, they are on nearly every projection of teams on that list.

But Lake Kiffin and his crew know how dangerous it can be going to face the Gamecocks down there. Rebels’ fans that have a long memory will remember the last time a season with high hopes blew up in South Carolina.