Lane Kiffin coaches his new team against the program he just left, in the building he used to call home. There isn't a bigger circle on the SEC schedule.
Bush’s Picks
LSUMISS
LSUMISS
OverUnder
Best BetOle Miss
Ole Miss brings back its two best offensive players in Chambliss and Lacy, plus staff continuity in a building that's about to be as hostile as it gets. LSU has more raw talent after Kiffin's transfer haul, but a first-time quarterback coming off foot surgery on the road against his old team is a real variable. Back the Rebels to win outright in what shapes up as a genuine coin-flip environment.
LSU
+Kiffin brought 43 transfers, major talent infusion
−Walking into one of the loudest road environments
Ole Miss
+Chambliss and Lacy both back, combined for 54 TDs
+One win from the national title game last year
+Nation's 2nd-best transfer class, deep roster reload
−Replacing Kiffin with first-year lead voice Pete Golding
−New offensive playcaller taking over the system
−Emotion of the Kiffin revenge angle could backfire
This one has been marked on calendars since the day Kiffin left Oxford for Baton Rouge. Trinidad Chambliss, the Ole Miss quarterback who played for Kiffin last season, has already said the LSU game is the one he's most looking forward to, and he hasn't hidden the edge behind it. On the other sideline, Kiffin brought a chunk of his old offensive staff with him, which means this is as much a scheme fight as it is a grudge match.
Chambliss is walking into 2026 as a legitimate Heisman contender after throwing for 3,937 yards with 22 touchdowns against just 3 interceptions a year ago, and running back Kewan Lacy is back too — that duo combined for 54 touchdowns and had Ole Miss one win from a national title game appearance. LSU counters with a near-total roster overhaul: Kiffin brought in 43 transfers among 59 newcomers, and quarterback Sam Leavitt, who's coming off Lisfranc foot surgery, is reportedly fully cleared and has added 11 pounds heading into fall camp.
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LSU LSU
MISS Ole Miss
Both offenses have the pieces to score in bunches, which is part of why this game already carries national buzz months before kickoff. Ole Miss is leaning on continuity — Chambliss and Lacy back, a new offensive coordinator who's comfortable running Kiffin's old system — while LSU is betting that a talent influx and Kiffin's system installation can hit the ground running fast enough to win in a hostile Oxford environment.
LSU Tigers
Sep 12?vs Louisiana Tech—
Sep 5?vs Clemson—
Ole Miss Rebels
Sep 12?vs Charlotte—
Sep 6?vs Louisville—
Recent form.
The stakes go beyond bragging rights. Both programs are being talked about as CFP contenders, and a Week 3 loss this early would sting for either side. For Ole Miss, it's also a chance to prove the run behind Kiffin last year wasn't a one-off — that Pete Golding and this reloaded roster, which reportedly signed the nation's second-best transfer class, can sustain it without him.
LSU Tigers
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Ole Miss Rebels
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Leavitt's health is the swing factor for LSU. He's been cleared for unrestricted work this summer, but a foot that required hardware removal in April is the kind of injury that can still linger into live contact. If he's right, LSU's talent overhaul has a legitimate engine. If he's not, the Tigers are leaning on a rebuilt roster that hasn't been tested together in a game like this. Expect Oxford to be as loud as it's been in years for this one.
