Kiffin Returns to Oxford for Top-10 LSU-Ole Miss Showdown — SkimNews
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- No. 7 LSU and No. 8 Ole Miss meet at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET, the first top-10 clash between the border-state rivals since 1962.
- Lane Kiffin returns to Oxford less than 10 months after accepting the LSU job at the tail end of his sixth Ole Miss season, with the winner positioned for a College Football Playoff spot.
- LSU listed starting QB Sam Leavitt as doubtful with an upper body issue; backup Landen Clark — an Elon transfer who posted nearly 3,000 yards and CAA Co-Offensive Rookie of the Year last season — would start if Leavitt can't go.
- Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding coached under Kiffin for three seasons at Ole Miss, while LSU's Charlie Weis Jr. is a former Rebels OC, setting up a multi-layered coaching chess match.
- The sold-out game carried get-in secondary ticket prices at or above $500 as of Thursday afternoon, with local police adding reinforcements ahead of what's expected to be a rowdy environment for Kiffin's first road game as LSU coach.
- CBS Sports model picks LSU -2.5, citing Kiffin's offensive scheming against an Ole Miss secondary that Louisville exposed for 41 points in the Rebels' Week 1 win.
Why it matters: The winner claims a clear College Football Playoff path while validating either Kiffin's quick rebuild at LSU or Ole Miss's standing among the SEC elite post-Kiffin. With both teams entering 2-0 but untested, this is the first real measuring stick for either program — and LSU already faces a QB crisis with Leavitt doubtful.
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