Ole Miss has been quite busy on the football scheduling front over the past could of months.
Most noteworthy, Ole Miss and USC announced a future home-and-home series in football in the middle of last month. The SEC West school also announced a future home-and-home with South Alabama (HERE) and a one-off game with Alcorn State (HERE). That latter game marks its first-ever against a historically black college and university. Additionally, this year’s opener against Baylor was moved from Saturday, Sept. 5, to Sunday, Sept. 6.
Tuesday, the scheduling cornucopia for Ole Miss continued as a football home-and-home series with Charlotte was confirmed by both schools. The Rebels will travel to Charlotte’s Jerry Richardson Stadium, Sept. 12, 2026. Then the 49ers will make the trek to Oxford, Miss., on Sept. 4, 2027, at Vaught Hemingway Stadium.
Ole Miss will become the first-ever SEC team to play the 49ers at home. The 2026 game will also mark the first-ever meeting between the programs.
“What an incredible opportunity for Niner Nation to enjoy an SEC opponent on our campus, and then make a return trip to one of the most legendary settings in college football -- The Grove,” a statement from Charlotte athletic director Mike Hill read. “As our program continues its competitive ascent, expect to see more exciting match-ups of this caliber.”
Charlotte has previously played road games against SEC members Kentucky (2015) and Tennessee (2018). The 49ers will also travel to the Vols this season. Future road matchups against that conference that have already been announced include South Carolina (2022), Florida (2023) and Georgia (2025).
Per the school, ACC member Duke will become the first Power Five school to play at Charlotte in 2021. The Conference USA school will also host the Big Ten’s Maryland in 2022 and the ACC’s North Carolina in 2025.
“Anytime you’re competing against the Southeastern Conference, you’re obviously talking about the big time,” said 49ers head coach Will Healy. “It’s huge for our student-athlete experience to play in those types of ACC and SEC atmospheres, but also great to get those programs to our place. It’s a priority for us to continue to build the fan experience here, and having Duke, Maryland, North Carolina and now Ole Miss coming to our place is a great way to do that.”
