No. 7 LSU Visits No. 8 Ole Miss as Lane Kiffin Return Fuels 2026 Rivalry Peak
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 17
No. 7 LSU Visits No. 8 Ole Miss as Lane Kiffin Return Fuels 2026 Rivalry Peak
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 17
Summary
Saturday’s LSU-Ole Miss matchup arrives as the most anticipated game of 2026, with 2-0 No. 7 LSU heading to 2-0 No. 8 Ole Miss in the latest high point of the Magnolia Bowl.
Lane Kiffin’s first trip back to Oxford since leaving Ole Miss on Nov. 30 has sharpened the stakes, with his exit and aftermath leaving Rebels fans feeling aggrieved and adding fresh venom to the series.
Pete Golding has kept Ole Miss surging after replacing Kiffin, taking the Rebels to last season’s College Football Playoff semifinals and into 2026 with ambitions to match LSU’s championship standard.
History gives the game extra weight: LSU leads the series 66-45-4, but Ole Miss still carries scars from Billy Cannon’s 1959 punt return and the disputed final second in Tiger Stadium in 1972.
This will be the 14th AP-ranked meeting and fourth straight with both teams ranked, underscoring how a rivalry once overshadowed by LSU-Alabama and the Egg Bowl has re-entered a second golden era.