Kentucky vs. No. 20 Ole Miss is the only intraconference matchup in the SEC this week, which you would think would make it a layup for SEC Nation, the SEC Network’s weekly pregame show; however, SEC Nation is headed to Columbia for Kansas vs. Missouri instead. There’s one person to blame for that: Paul Finebaum.

In an interview with The Tiger Kickoff Show on Wednesday, Finebaum said the decision was all but made this summer to bring SEC Nation to Lexington the second weekend of the season — until he stepped in and made the case for Kansas at Missouri, aka the Border War.

“We cannot wait to bring our show on Friday and SEC Nation there. It was a big debate about going to Kentucky this weekend, Ole Miss at Kentucky. And I heard the conversation at [SEC] Media Days, and I told our producer, I said, ‘Are you people serious?’”

Finebaum then recalled a trip to Kansas City over ten years ago when he got a firsthand look at how intense the Missouri/Kansas rivalry is.

“I told them the story about speaking in Kansas City a couple of years ago to a Tiger club, and this was before the SEC Network started, and I had to go over to Kansas City, Kansas, to do my radio show, and my host would not take me, and then he explained the Kansas-Missouri controversy. I’ve been reading up on that. I’ve read all the books, and that’s the reason why we’re coming here, because I told these guys, you have no Earthly idea how great this rivalry is and how bitter it is.”

Thanks to Pawl, SEC Nation, Marty & McGee, and Finebaum’s Friday show will be in CoMo instead of Lexington, talking about an old Big 12 rivalry instead of Kentucky vs. No. 20 Ole Miss, a rematch of last year’s stunning upset. Mark Stoops’ trademark defense vs. Lane Kiffin’s high-flying offense, a game Kiffin has said several times has been circled on his calendar for a year. Their loss, right?

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Kentucky vs. Ole Miss is On3’s 2nd biggest game of the week

If Pete Nakos had been in the room when the SEC Network was deciding where to take SEC Nation in Week 2, he would have argued for Kentucky vs. Ole Miss. On3’s national college football reporter ranked the Cats vs. the Rebels as his second-best game of the week, right behind No. 15 Michigan at No. 18 Oklahoma, another worthy candidate. Kansas at Missouri is No. 4 on his list.

“Nearly a year ago, Kentucky upset then-No. 6 Ole Miss 20-17. The loss was the first crack in the Rebels’ bid for a College Football Playoff spot. The win gave Mark Stoops the highest-ranked win of his career at Kentucky. Ole Miss visits Kentucky this weekend to open SEC play. The Rebels have a new look at quarterback with Austin Simmons, while Kentucky is rolling with former Texas A&M and Auburn quarterback Zach Calzada.”

Who needs SEC Nation when you’ve got the KSR Pregame Show? The guys will be going live from KSBar and Grille at 11:30 a.m. ET on Saturday. If you can’t be there in person, tune in on 630 WLAP, affiliates across the state, or iHeart Radio.