With Millsaps’ planned departure from the Southern Athletic Association being announced earlier this summer, some Division III fans have naturally questioned whether the Majors’ rivalry with Belhaven will continue.
While Millsaps and Belhaven have never competed in the same conference – despite the schools being located just half a mile apart in Jackson – any conference change can bring new schedules and potentially affect longstanding matchups. When Millsaps joins the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference in the fall of 2027, the Majors will have a new slate of built-in opponents across all sports.
The good news, according to Millsaps athletic director Justin LeBlanc, is that the rivalry with Belhaven is not going away.
“The Belhaven rivalry is not going anywhere,” LeBlanc assured, adding that Major-Blazer matchups will continue in most, if not all, sports offered by both programs.
“In the near future, in sports like football, baseball, and basketball, they’re on the schedule,” LeBlanc said.
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For the 2026-27 athletic year, the first meeting between Millsaps and Belhaven will come Sept. 3, when the football teams face off in the Riverside Rumble at Harper Davis Field on the Millsaps campus.
“We’re looking to continue our Riverside Rumble with Belhaven. We’re fired up for this year being on campus here against Belhaven in football and, you know, we go back and forth with them every year,” LeBlanc said. “That rivalry game will stay in place as long as we have anything to say about it.”
Millsaps has been an NCAA Division III member since 1973, while Belhaven joined the Division III ranks in 2015 after previously competing in the NAIA. The teams have met 15 times in football, with Belhaven holding a 9-6 advantage in the all-time series.