Saturday in Oxford brings the kind of matchup LSU and Ole Miss fans have been waiting for: No. 7 LSU against No.
8 Ole Miss, the highest-ranked meeting in the rivalry since Oct. 31, 1959.
That Halloween night at Tiger Stadium remains the benchmark. No.
1 LSU, defending an 11-0 national championship season, edged No. 3 Ole Miss 7-3 when Billy Cannon turned a fourth-quarter punt into an 89-yard touchdown and, as the source notes, “into mortality with the Halloween Run that won LSU’s first Heisman Trophy.”
The timing around this year’s game is almost eerie. A documentary on Cannon’s life, with the Philadelphia, Mississippi native at the center, is set to premiere at 7 p.m.
Monday statewide on Louisiana Public Broadcasting. Then on Saturday at 6:30 p.m., the Tigers and Rebels meet at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.
LSU climbed from No. 8 to No. 7 in the latest Associated Press poll after beating Louisiana Tech 48-14 on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. Ole Miss moved up from No. 9 to No. 8 after rolling past Charlotte 41-9 at home.
Lane Kiffin’s return adds another layer to the matchup. After taking Ole Miss from a struggling stretch to a program that finished 11-1 overall and 7-1 in the SEC in 2025, Kiffin is back in Oxford as LSU’s head coach.
He left days after that regular season ended, and Ole Miss promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding, a Hammond native hired away from Alabama after the 2022 season. Golding then guided the Rebels to two playoff wins and a trip to the CFP semifinal, doing it with several staff members who were working both with Kiffin at LSU and under Golding at Ole Miss during the playoffs.
LSU is a 2.5-point favorite, and the Tigers are trying to win in Oxford for the first time since a 58-37 victory in the 2019 season, the year LSU won the national title. Kiffin went 3-0 against LSU in Oxford, including a 24-19 win last season.
The top of the AP poll also shifted in a big way after Texas, now No. 1, stunned Ohio State 24-23 in Austin. New Orleans native quarterback Arch Manning led the comeback from a 23-3 deficit entering the final quarter. The source also notes Manning is the grandson of Ole Miss legend Archie Manning, who beat LSU two out of three times as the Rebels quarterback from 1968-70, while Eli Manning and Ole Miss beat LSU once in three tries from 2001-03.
Georgia sits at No. 2, followed by Notre Dame at No. 3, defending national champion Indiana at No. 4 and Miami at No. 5.
Ohio State fell to No. 6.
Two more LSU opponents are in the top 10 as well: Texas A&M is No. 9 and will visit Baton Rouge on Sept. 26, while Alabama is No. 10 and comes to Tiger Stadium on Nov. 7.
Tennessee is No. 15 and will host LSU on Nov. 21.
Elsewhere in the rankings, BYU, USC, Texas Tech, Penn State, Tennessee, SMU, Utah, Iowa, Michigan and Missouri make up Nos. 11 through 20. Oregon fell 15 spots to No. 21 after losing to Oklahoma State, which did not crack the poll.
The final four teams are Houston at No. 22, Louisville, Oklahoma and Virginia.
In Other News...
LSU Turned A Routine Tune-Up Into A Halftime Mess
LSU came into its meeting with Louisiana Tech expecting a routine tune-up, but the first half turned into something far messier than the Tigers had in mind. The defense did its part, stacking up sacks and forcing turnovers, yet the offense never found a steady rhythm, and the run game was especially stalled with only 44 yards on 23 carries.
Much of the unease traced back to Sam Leavitt, whose first-half line included three interceptions, one of them returned 100 yards for a pick six. Even with LSU still carrying a 10-7 lead at the break, the kind of sloppy play that usually gets smoothed out in a lopsided matchup was hanging around long enough to make the Tigers sweat a little harder than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffins Oxford Return Just Made LSU-Ole Miss Even More Personal
LSU and Ole Miss each took care of business in their most recent games, which only adds to the buildup for an SEC matchup that already had plenty of edge. The Tigers now head into a game that is as much about emotion and familiarity as it is about the standings, with Lane Kiffin set to walk back into Oxford in a very different role than the one Ole Miss fans remember.
Kiffins move to LSU has given the rivalry an even sharper personal twist. He brought four players with him through the transfer portal, including two who are being sued by Ole Miss for breach of contract, which only heightens the intrigue around a reunion that was already drawing plenty of attention. For LSU, it is another important conference game. For Ole Miss, it is a chance to welcome back a former coach who left with plenty of storylines in tow. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Heads Into A Lane Kiffin Showdown With Extra Emotion
With Lane Kiffin back in the spotlight and LSU headed into Oxford for a Week 3 meeting with Ole Miss, the buildup has carried an extra layer of emotion well beyond the usual SEC buzz. The game is set for national television, and the storyline naturally brings plenty of attention to the Rebels side as they prepare to face the former coach who once led their program.
Trinidad Chambliss called the whole situation "weird," which fits the mood around a matchup that has plenty of noise attached to it. Still, the Ole Miss quarterback made clear the Rebels are trying to keep the focus where it belongs, on football, even with all the surrounding storylines threatening to take over the conversation. [Read more 🡒]