Ole Miss' sports
teams, nicknamed the
Rebels, compete in the competetive twelve-member Southeastern Conference (West Division) of the NCAA's
Division I. In 2003, the administration
eliminated the Colonel Reb mascot in an attempt to rid the university of the negative connotations still associated with the
university.Ole Miss' athletic rivals are Louisiana State
University (the
Tigers) and instate rival Mississippi State University (the
Bulldogs).