[3][4] The two schools, separated by around 80 miles,[5] first met in 1921, with Ole Miss winning the first 17 games.

As early as 1994, The Commercial Appeal in Memphis referred to the Memphis–Ole Miss football series as a "Mid-South rivalry.

"[11] In later years, "Mid-South rivalry" began to be used by the Memphis and Ole Miss athletic departments as well as media outlets like SB Nation.

Brown tweeted that the series was "not a rivalry," and Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral answered "no" when asked by a reporter if he considered Ole Miss and Memphis to be rivals.

[17][18] In women's volleyball, Memphis and Ole Miss had at least one meeting per season from 1993 to 2007 but met only twice since 2008.