Saturday night in Oxford comes with the kind of spotlight college football almost never gets to keep for long. Ole Miss and LSU are meeting as top-10 teams for the first time in 64 years, and it’s Lane Kiffin’s return to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium that has turned the game into the week’s biggest stage.
Kiffin has had this one marked down since he switched sides of the Magnolia Bowl in late November, and he made clear this week that he thinks the pressure sits more heavily on Ole Miss. He told his players Monday that the attention will be aimed squarely at him, not them.
“I told the players ‘You don’t have anything to worry about as far as attention on you all week’. There’s just going to be so much attention, hatred, everything on me.
You just get to go play. And I said really, the pressure’s on them,” Kiffin told reporters Monday.
He kept going, pointing to the different starting points for the two programs.
“We won seven games last year. They won 13.
They returned two Heisman candidates. How often has that ever happened in the same backfield?....
And (Ole Miss has the) second longest winning streak in the country, so you guys just get to go play and the pressure is not on you.”
That’s the public stance from Baton Rouge, but the reality is simpler: both teams need this game. A win here gives either side an early edge in the race toward the College Football Playoffs, and neither program can afford to waste a chance like this in conference play.
Pete Golding said earlier this week that Ole Miss understands exactly what is sitting in front of it.
“I think both teams, both schools put themselves in great position to have a top 10 matchup to open up SEC play for us at home with College Gameday. There’s so much on the line just from what the game means as far as from conference play and being a top-10 matchup,” Golding said earlier this week.
“Then obviously the former players and all the former coaches and the relationships that you’ve had. I think that’s not unique to one game anymore.
Now with the portal and coaches going different places every year, there’s always relationships that are there. Obviously this one being unique - their head ball coach that recruited a lot of these guys and all that is on the opposing side, but they know it’s a top-10 matchup…to me, it’s like high school homecoming for these dudes.
If you focus on the wrong shit, that homecoming dance ain’t very fun after you get your butt beat on a Friday night. We gotta make sure that we’re doing everything right throughout the week to get the right outcome that we want.”
There is plenty riding on the result for both teams, but LSU is carrying the heavier burden. The Tigers have poured nearly $50 million into their roster and made Kiffin the second-highest paid coach in the sport. They also pulled him away from a team that made the national semifinals without him, then backed up the move by saying LSU gives him a better chance to win at a higher level.
Kiffin also drew attention for saying LSU is easier to sell to recruits and taking a shot at Ole Miss’ recruiting reputation before walking those comments back after the backlash. With all of that hanging over him, a game like this naturally comes with expectations.
For Ole Miss, the stakes are different but still real. The roster isn’t cheap, and the Rebels would be expected to take advantage of having what could be the country’s best signal-caller. A fast start matters too, especially with the back half of the schedule looming.
Both teams have plenty of ranked opponents ahead. LSU has four more ranked teams inside the AP’s top 15 left on its schedule, and Ole Miss also has four more ranked opponents remaining.
No matter what happens Saturday, the turnaround has to be quick: LSU hosts No. 9 Texas A&M next Saturday, while Ole Miss heads to Gainesville, where it has not won since 2008.
A loss won’t ruin the season for either side, but a blowout loss would be a different story for Ole Miss, especially in front of what should be a record-setting crowd. That is the one outcome that could really change the feel of the Rebels’ season right away.
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC, with LSU listed as a narrow road favorite.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Gets Defensive Help As LSU Brings A Huge QB Question
Ole Miss is set to open conference play with a marquee home game against LSU, and the Rebels should get a boost on the back end of the defense when the Tigers come to Oxford. Cornerback Antonio Kite is expected back in the lineup, while safety Sharif Denson is also slated to return, giving Ole Miss some much-needed help in a top-10 matchup that figures to test every layer of the secondary.
The timing matters because LSUs own injury situation could reshape the way this game is played. Star quarterback Sam Leavitt is listed as doubtful, which leaves a major question mark hanging over the Tigers as they head into one of the SECs earliest measuring-stick games. For Ole Miss, getting healthier in the secondary before a game like this is about as good a break as a defense can ask for. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Isnt Buying LSUs Quarterback Status For Saturday
LSUs quarterback situation has already become part of the buildup to Saturday in Oxford, with Sam Leavitt listed as doubtful on the SEC injury report because of soreness in his throwing shoulder and limited practice participation. For Ole Miss, that designation is only adding another layer to a game that already carried plenty of weight, since the Rebels are preparing for the possibility that the Tigers may have to adjust late in the week.
Inside the Ole Miss coaching staff, though, there is a clear sense that the report may not tell the full story. They do not sound convinced Leavitt will actually sit out, even as LSU has an alternate plan ready with Landen Clark expected to start if needed. However it plays out, the Rebels are treating the situation as one worth monitoring right up until kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Faces One Big Road Test As Leavitt Concern Grows
The buildup to Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium has already started to take shape on the national radar, and Aaron Murray is leaning toward LSU in what shapes up as one of the more watched games of the weekend. The former Georgia quarterback and college football analyst pointed to the matchup as a chance for LSU to steady itself, while also acknowledging the parts of Ole Miss that make this such a tricky assignment for any visitor.
Murray also singled out Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and receiver Deuce Alexander as players who can tilt the game if they get rolling. For LSU, the focus remains on Sam Leavitt and whether he can make enough of a jump for the Tigers to handle the road environment, with ABC set to carry the broadcast and plenty of attention likely to follow every possession. [Read more 🡒]