Ole Miss Is Headed to the Playoff - But LSU Still Casts a Long Shadow
Let’s set the scene: Ole Miss is 11-1, ranked No. 6 in the country, and preparing to host a College Football Playoff game in Oxford. The Rebels are riding their best run since the Johnny Vaught era - the same Vaught whose name is on the stadium. This is uncharted territory in the modern era for a program that hasn’t sniffed a national title since 1960.
They’re 17-point favorites over No. 11 Tulane (11-2) in Saturday’s first-round playoff matchup.
Win that, and they’re heading to the Sugar Bowl - potentially for a showdown with No. 3 Georgia.
If the Rebels pull that off, they’ll be one game away from playing for a national championship. Let that sink in.
This is a program that’s gone 32-6 over the last three seasons under Lane Kiffin, stacking three straight double-digit win seasons - four in the last five years. For context, from 1972 to 2019, Ole Miss had just two 10-win seasons. That’s not a glow-up - that’s a program transformation.
Meanwhile, over in Baton Rouge, LSU is 7-5 and heading to the Texas Bowl for the second year in a row. It’s their fourth single-digit win season in the last six years.
And they’re on their fourth head coach since 2021. That’s not exactly the kind of stability you want if you’re trying to keep pace in the SEC arms race.
And yet, despite the contrasting trajectories, LSU continues to cast a long shadow over Ole Miss - both on and off the field.
The Coaching Carousel Comes Full Circle
Frank Wilson, LSU’s interim head coach for the Texas Bowl, won’t be retained by Lane Kiffin - who, in a dramatic twist, left Ole Miss on November 30 to take the LSU job. Instead, Wilson is expected to head back to Oxford after the bowl game, this time as Ole Miss’ running backs coach under new head coach Pete Golding.
Golding, who spent the last three years as Kiffin’s defensive coordinator, now takes the reins in Oxford. He and Wilson go way back - Golding was Wilson’s DC at UTSA in 2016 and 2017. Wilson also coached at Ole Miss from 2005 to 2007 under Ed Orgeron, who later led LSU to a national championship in 2019.
Once the dust settles from bowl season, Wilson is expected to replace current Rebels running backs coach Kevin Smith - who may be headed to LSU, potentially bringing star back Kewan Lacy with him.
The Transfer Portal Pipeline
Lacy isn’t the only name potentially making the trip to Baton Rouge. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss could also be on the move, if he’s granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA. If that happens, LSU could be pulling in two major contributors from a playoff-bound Ole Miss team - not exactly your typical “JV to Varsity” move.
There’s a lot of connective tissue between these two programs right now. Former LSU personnel general manager Austin Thomas is back at Ole Miss after not being retained by Kiffin in Baton Rouge. Kiffin brought Billy Glasscock, his personnel GM from Oxford, with him to LSU.
So while Kiffin is reshaping LSU’s infrastructure, Ole Miss is reloading with familiar faces - and potentially a few key players - from the Tigers' orbit.
The Recruiting Fallout
Kiffin’s move to LSU has already led to some shakeups on the recruiting trail. Two LSU commitments from the 2026 class were reportedly told there were no longer scholarships available for them - and both have since flipped to Ole Miss. That’s a tough pill to swallow for a program trying to reestablish itself after a 7-5 season.
Oh, and for good measure: Ole Miss beat LSU this year, 24-19. That’s three wins in the last five meetings for the Rebels - a notable shift in a rivalry long dominated by the Tigers.
Coaching the Playoff … From the Other Sideline?
Here’s where things get even more tangled. Five former Ole Miss assistant coaches - including offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. and receivers coach George McDonald - are still in Oxford helping coach the Rebels through the playoff. They’ve already accepted roles on Kiffin’s staff at LSU, but they’re finishing the job with Ole Miss before making the move.
They’ll be gone once the Rebels’ playoff run ends - whether that’s after Tulane, Georgia, or a potential national title game. So, if Ole Miss goes the distance, they’ll be doing it with a coaching staff that’s already got one foot in Baton Rouge.
Kiffin reportedly wanted to stick around and coach Ole Miss in the playoff himself, but the school didn’t allow it. So now he watches from afar as his former staff tries to finish what he started - before joining him to rebuild a program that’s been spinning its wheels since its 2019 title run.
A Rivalry That Runs Deep
This isn’t just about coaching moves or transfer portals. This is about history - and a rivalry that dates back to 1894.
LSU leads the all-time series 66-44-3 and has claimed three national championships since 2003. Ole Miss?
Still waiting on its first trip to the SEC Championship Game.
Yes, the Rebels are in the playoff. Yes, they’re on one of the best runs in program history. But in the eyes of many in Baton Rouge, LSU is still the big brother in this rivalry - even when it’s the Rebels playing for a shot at the title and the Tigers prepping for a third-tier bowl game.
There’s a strange irony in all of this: Ole Miss is having a historic season, and yet the gravitational pull of LSU - its coaches, its players, its brand - continues to shape the Rebels' future.
So while the Rebels chase glory in the playoff, LSU is already working to reassert itself. And if Kiffin’s vision pans out, the Tigers might not be down for long.
But for now, Ole Miss is in the spotlight. And LSU? Well, they're watching - and plotting - from the sidelines.