LSU Football: Quick history on the Magnolia Bowl vs. Ole Miss

LSU Football is on the road and headed for Oxford, Mississippi, to play in a rivalry game that is not widely acknowledged but includes much history.

College football media and fans do not talk about the LSU vs. Ole Miss rivalry like the LSU vs. Arkansas or LSU vs. Alabama games. Heck, many of the younger LSU Football football likely don’t realize that the Tigers vs. Rebels are a rivalry game with origins that reach back to the late 1800s.

As such, I think that providing a crash course on the Magnolia Bowl is appropriate.

Why is it called “The Magnolia Bowl?”

The LSU Football vs. Ole Miss rivalry game was named the Magnolia Bowl in 2008 after a motion from students at both universities. Louisiana and Mississippi share the magnolia flower as their state flower, hence the game’s nickname. Nevertheless, Ole Miss defeated LSU 31-13 in their first game under the “Magnolia Bowl” title at Tiger Stadium.

Coincidentally, the Rebels 2008 win in Baton Rouge occurred a year after Ole Miss fired Ed Orgeron as head coach.

Is there a Magnolia Bowl Trophy?

A Magnolia Bowl trophy was designed and issued to the Rebels after their ’08 win. However, the first version of such was a bland and unpopular block of wood with a fake magnolia flower and nameplate. As one Yahoo! Sports writer described, “[the Magnolia Bowl Trophy] resembled a plaque you’d give to a principal retiring from a school after 35 years, not to a team that just won a rivalry football game.”

The current version of the Magnolia Bowl Trophy was introduced in 2014. It is a carved piece of wood adorned with LSU and Ole Miss logos and a magnolia flower insert. Indeed, the trophy is more durable and worth displaying. However, don’t expect to see LSU posing with the trophy the same as “The Boot” trophy, should they retain it on Saturday.

What is the LSU Football record vs. Ole Miss?

LSU Football and Ole Miss first played in 1894, a game in Baton Rouge that the Rebels won 26-6. The rivalry was off-and-on for several decades after that.

Incredibly, the Tigers have played Ole Miss every season since 1945. Thus, the potential for the game to shift to an every-other-season format after SEC expansion is unfavorable.

The Tigers are 65-42-4 against the Rebels all-time.

LSU currently holds the Magnolia Bowl Trophy after a 45-20 blowout win in Baton Rouge last season. Ole Miss won the 2021 contest 31-17 in Oxford. However, the Tigers won every Magnolia Bowl played from 2016-20.

We feel good about LSU’s odds at a 66th win over Ole Miss and trip back to Baton Rouge with the Magnolia Bowl Trophy in tow.