Lane Kiffin is headed back to Oxford for a matchup that has been circled for months, and the stage could hardly be bigger. No.
7 LSU and No. 8 Ole Miss meet Saturday night in Oxford, Miss., in an SEC opener that carries top-10 stakes, old grudges and a whole lot of attention after Kiffin left the Rebels to take over in Baton Rouge.
It is the first top-10 meeting between these programs since 1962, a fitting backdrop for two teams that have opened the season cleanly. LSU blasted Clemson 51-10 in its opener and followed with a 45-14 win over Louisiana Tech.
Ole Miss opened by edging then-No. 24 Louisville 41-38 on a last-second finish, then handled Charlotte 41-9.
Pete Golding said the moment has been building for everyone involved.
"I think both teams put themselves in a great position to have a top-10 matchup to open up SEC conference play for us at home with College GameDay," said Rebels coach Pete Golding. "If (players) can't get up for this one, I don't know why they play the game.
"There's so much on the line ... and then obviously the former players, former coaches and the relationships that you've had. Obviously, this one is unique."
Kiffin, who brought several players and assistant coaches with him from Oxford to Baton Rouge, downplayed any burden on his side and said the spotlight would be on him all week.
"I told the players, 'Man, you don't have anything to worry about as far as attention on you all week and everything,'" Kiffin said. "'There's going to be so much attention, hatred, everything on me.
Really, the pressure's on (the Rebels). We won seven games last year.
They won 13. ... You guys just get to go play.'"
He also pointed to Ole Miss having "two Heisman candidates ... in the same backfield," naming quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy. Kiffin called Chambliss "the best-playing quarterback in the country last year."
That Ole Miss backfield will be tested by an LSU defense that has been dominant through two games. The Tigers lead the country in total defense at 142.5 yards per game and rank second nationally, behind only Houston, in run defense at 18.5 yards per game.
Golding, who was promoted from defensive coordinator to replace Kiffin and later guided Ole Miss to a pair of CFP wins before the Rebels lost to Miami in a Fiesta Bowl semifinal, also has a quarterback issue to monitor on the LSU side.
Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt was listed as doubtful on the SEC mandated midweek injury report, which equates to a 25 percent chance of playing in the game. Leavitt did not appear to be injured walking off the field against Louisiana Tech, and it is unclear whether he was hurt in practice. Because of the rivalry and the stakes, Kiffin’s side could also be working some gamesmanship.
Leavitt ranks sixth in the nation in total offense at 354.5 yards per game. He is tied for third nationally and leads all quarterbacks with five rushing touchdowns, but he has also thrown four interceptions, including three in the first half last week.
If Leavitt cannot go, LSU would turn to freshman Husan Longstreet and sophomore Landen Clark behind him.
Golding said he has been impressed with what Leavitt does when he decides to run.
"I've just been really impressed with his athleticism once he decides to become a runner," Golding said of Leavitt. "I think it's going to be really important to try to make him become a pocket passer."
In Other News...
Lane Kiffin Just Added More Heat To LSU's Ole Miss Rivalry
Few SEC matchups carry as much history as LSU and Ole Miss, a rivalry that dates to 1894 and has grown into the Magnolia Bowl since 2008. The Tigers have controlled the series overall, leading 64-44-4, and the annual meeting has produced its share of memorable nights, from the 1959 Halloween game to the famed 1972 contest known as The Night Time Stood Still.
Recent history has leaned LSUs way, too, including a comeback win in 2024 that only added to the edge between the programs. With Lane Kiffin now adding more heat to the conversation, the next chapter in this long-running feud has plenty of built-in tension before anyone even steps on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Is Adding More Heat To LSUs Ole Miss Trip
Lane Kiffin has spent enough time in SEC theater to know how to lean into it, and this week he helped turn LSUs preparation for Ole Miss into a much louder scene. He invited LSU students to come out and heckle the Tigers during practice, using the chance to recreate the kind of hostile environment LSU will walk into on the road. The result was exactly the sort of charged backdrop this rivalry tends to attract, with signs, noise and plenty of pointed energy aimed at Kiffin and the team.
For LSU, the practical value is obvious: a little extra discomfort now could help when the real crowd gets involved. For Kiffin, the setting only added another layer to a matchup already carrying its own history, since he previously coached at Ole Miss before leaving in November. With the Tigers headed into that trip, the noise around practice was a reminder that this one is about more than just a football game. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Just Got A GameDay Pick That Fans Will Love
The buildup around LSUs trip to Oxford already had the feel of one of the seasons biggest SEC showdowns, with the No. 7 Tigers set for a primetime meeting against No. 8 Ole Miss at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Now the stage has gotten even brighter, with College GameDay heading to the matchup and ABC carrying the game as part of a broadcast lineup that includes Chris Fowler, Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge.
For a rivalry-like game with rankings this tight, the pregame spotlight is almost as much a part of the story as the snap-to-snap action, and this one will have plenty of it. Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee and Nick Saban will be on hand for the show, joined by celebrity guest Morgan Freeman, giving the weekend an extra layer of buzz before LSU and Ole Miss even take the field. [Read more 🡒]