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Tennessee football vs. Ole Miss: Five reasons there’s bad blood between the schools

By Caleb Calhoun

Jul 20, 2021; Hoover, Alabama, USA; Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin speaks to the media during SEC Media Days at Hyatt Regency Birmingham. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 20, 2021; Hoover, Alabama, USA; Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin speaks to the media during SEC Media Days at Hyatt Regency Birmingham. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports /
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David Cutcliffe speaks during Ole Miss’ 1999 trip to the Independence Bowl. Now the head coach of Duke, Cutcliffe will attempt to win his fourth I-Bowl on Thursday.Davidcutcliffeibowl
David Cutcliffe speaks during Ole Miss’ 1999 trip to the Independence Bowl. Now the head coach of Duke, Cutcliffe will attempt to win his fourth I-Bowl on Thursday.Davidcutcliffeibowl /

4. David Cutcliffe hired by Ole Miss in 1999

Nobody should ever begrudge another school from hiring one of its top assistants away to be a head coach. That’s the nature of the business, and if your favorite team is successful, your top assistants will get hired as head coaches elsewhere. That’s not the reason this hiring is cause for bad blood between the programs, though.

Cutcliffe had been Tennessee football’s offensive coordinator from 1993 to 1998. The Vols were in the midst of a national championship season and back to back SEC Championships. Ole Miss hired Cutcliffe after Tommy Tuberville abruptly left for the Auburn Tigers.

The hire came suspiciously two months before Eli Manning was set to sign. Five years earlier, Peyton Manning shocked the world by picking the Vols over Ole Miss, and his connection with Cutcliffe seemed to be a big reason for that. Was there concern that Eli would do the same thing?

Well, we’ll never know, and Eli Manning did have a legendary career at Ole Miss, but the Rebels then fired Cutcliffe after one losing season in 2004, which just so happened to be the year after Manning graduated. Taking that into account, you have to think Ole Miss hired Cutcliffe just to keep another Manning away from UT.

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