The athletics directors from Wake Forest and Mississippi talked “several times” over the last few years about restructuring their agreement to play a home-and-home football series and when no common ground was met, Wake Forest gave notice that it was canceling its trip to The Grove.

That information comes from a Sept. 10 email from Wake Forest athletics director John Currie to Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter, sent four days before their teams played in Winston-Salem last month, as obtained by Deacons Illustrated via Freedom of Information Act.

Currie’s email served as formal notice of the cancellation. Because it was sent with more than 12 months’ notice — by three days, as Wake’s game at Ole Miss was slated for September 13, 2025 — Wake Forest owes Ole Miss a fee of $750,000. That’s due by February 15, 2026.

The cancellation fee would have reached $1 million — the initial figure that was falsely reported — if Wake Forest had given less than 12 months’ notice.

Currie’s email ends with an offer to discuss an earlier payment schedule; the full body of the email can be found here.

Currie and Carter have been ADs of their respective departments for almost the same amount of time; Currie officially took over for Ron Wellman on May 1, 2019, while Carter was named interim AD that month after Ross Bjork left for Texas A&M. Carter had the interim tag removed in Nov. 2019.

Wake's non-conference schedule next year is: home games against Kennesaw State, Delaware and Western Carolina, and a road game against Oregon State.

Ole Miss announced today that it will play host to the other left-behind school of the Pac-12, Washington State, next season.

Wake Forest replaced next year’s trip to Ole Miss with a trip to Oregon State, a game that will be played October 25, 2025. The Beavers will come to Winston-Salem for a game on September 29, 2029 — or it’ll be played in 2027 if Wake Forest has an opening in its non-conference schedule.

Oregon State is sending Wake Forest $750,000, payable “on or before Jan. 31, 2026,” per the contract formed between those schools, also obtained by Deacons Illustrated via FOIA.

In addition to the $750,000 coming Wake’s way from Oregon State, the contract between each school stipulates that “each HOME TEAM agrees to pay the VISITING TEAM the sum of $100,000, payable on or before the January 31st immediately following the game at HOME TEAM.”

It makes sense, considering the cross-country travel that’s required, to aid in travel costs.

There was no mention of exchanging travel costs in the Ole Miss contract. Ole Miss handled its own travel to Winston-Salem this season; Wake Forest would’ve been on the hook for its travel to The Grove next year.

The cancellation wording of the contract between Wake Forest and Oregon State is as follows:

“It is agreed by both parties that if either party – without the written mutual agreement of both parties – (1) cancels a game; or (2) fails to appear for a game, then the cancelling/failing party is in material breach and actual damages would be of an uncertain amount and, in view of that fact, the breaching party shall pay the non-breaching party $1,000,000 as reasonable and contemplated liquidated damages and will release the non-breaching party from future obligations under this Agreement. Payment shall be made within thirty (30) days of a written demand for payment.”