All eyes are on Oxford, Mississippi.
Lane Kiffin's return to Ole Miss has been circled since the he decided bolt for LSU with the Rebels preparing for the College Football Playoff. Ole Miss received more than 325 credential requests for Saturday's game, not including ESPN's "College GameDay," and approved roughly 200.
It'll be a circus. And the game should be good, too, with LSU (No. 7) and Ole Miss (No. 9) ranked inside the top 10 of the US LBM Coaches Poll.
USA TODAY Sports and the USA TODAY Network with The Daily Advertiser (Lafayette, La.) and The Clarion Ledger (Jackson, Miss.) will have you covered in the build-up to the game, during the game and after.
Here are the latest headlines as we get closer to Saturday night's 7:30 ET kickoff.
Ole Miss will have heightened security for Lane Kiffin return
People
close to the situation told USA TODAY Sports horse-mounted officers from the Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans police departments are being brought in to assist with security, crowd control and fan management for Saturday night's primetime showdown.
Sean Tindell, Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, said the goal is to ensure headlines are made on the field, not off it.
"I've got confidence in the fans of Ole Miss and LSU ultimately," Tindell told the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network. "As competitive as it is and everybody wants their team to win, to handle themselves appropriately and act right."
∎ READ MORE: Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss return 'will make Mardi Gras look like a backyard barbecue'
Lane Kiffin says pressure on Ole Miss, not LSU football
"I told the players today, you don't have anything to worry about as far as like attention on you all week. There's just going to be so much attention, hatred, everything on me, I said, 'You just get to go play,'" Kiffin said. "I said really the pressure's on them.
"We won seven games last year, they won 13. They return two Heisman candidates (in quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy). How often does that ever happen in the same backfield? The second longest winning streak in the country. You guys just get to go play and the pressure is not on you."
Lane Kiffin tried to bring Trinidad Chambliss with him to LSU
As detailed in John Talty's forthcoming biography, Lane Being Lane: The Story of Lane Kiffin, College Football's Agent of Chaos, Kiffin wasn't merely moving on to LSU. He was actively attempting to bring key Ole Miss players with him, including quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, whose unexpected rise helped fuel the Rebels' playoff run.
According to attorney Tom Mars, Kiffin became intensely invested in Chambliss' eligibility appeal, frequently checking for updates and making little effort to disguise why.
“It was clear to me — it’d be clear to anyone except the village idiot — that he was hoping the appeal would be granted so he could bring Trinidad to LSU,” says Mars.
∎ READ FULL EXCERPT: Lane Kiffin backed Trinidad Chambliss' extra year — until the QB stayed at Ole Miss
Lane Kiffin has been here before when he returned to Tennessee
Kiffin spent one season as Vols head coach before leaving for his "dream job" at USC. When he returned as Ole Miss coach in 2021, Tennessee fans threw debris onto the field in a contentious finish, which included a yellow golf ball chucked from the stands at Kiffin.
Kiffin kept the golf ball and showed it to USA TODAY Sports columnist Blake Toppmeyer during an interview four-plus years ago.
It remains one of the more surreal interview moments I’ve experienced.
One thing I’ve learned from my many 1-on-1 interviews over the years with college football’s most fascinating and polarizing coach: Ask Kiffin boring questions, and you’ll get boring answers. If you can pique Kiffin's interest with a direct question that doesn’t bore him, that's when you get the good stuff.
So, amid my sit-down with Kiffin in the spring of 2022, I abruptly changed gears after a question about the transfer portal and asked: Where is the yellow golf ball?
Kiffin didn’t know I planned to ask this, but without skipping a beat, he swiftly opened his right-hand desk drawer, reached inside, and the next thing I know, a yellow Strata Super Range ball is rolling across his desk.
“Right there,” Kiffin said, as the ball rolled toward me. “There it is.”
∎ READ FULL COLUMN HERE: Lane Kiffin would love to stick it to Ole Miss. And take home a souvenir
Pete Golding asks Ole Miss football fans to behave for Lane Kiffin, LSU visit
Golding said respect and kindness is a calling card of the Ole Miss fanbase. It will be tested by Kiffin's presence. He has turned into a villain in Oxford by leaving the Rebels before the 2025 College Football Playoff and landing key transfers from Ole Miss such as defensive end Princewill Umanmielen and receiver Winston Watkins.
"To me, what this place has always been about and why so many people love coming here and respect this place, is because of the people that are here," Golding said. "And how they make them feel when they come here. That's always been something for me. When you come here and meet Ole Miss alumni and all that, they are so respectful."
LSU vs Ole Miss football prediction
Ole Miss 33, LSU 27: Lane Kiffin's return to Oxford will be a cinematic masterpiece. The Ole Miss fanbase has had the date circled since the SEC released this season's schedule. The juice in the stadium will be unlike anything most have experienced before. On the field, the Rebels will be carried by the crowd's energy. While the game will be tight throughout, LSU's offense will make one too many mistakes which will allow Ole Miss to pounce and secure the win late in the contest. — Cory Diaz, The Daily Advertiser
AI PICK – LSU 31, Ole Miss 30: Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford adds another layer to an already narrow matchup. Ole Miss owns the home-field advantage and plenty of emotional motivation, while LSU has the deeper roster. The deciding factor could be whether LSU remains composed through the early surge and avoids giving Ole Miss easy points. — Microsoft CoPilot
LSU vs Ole Miss football odds
Odds provided by BetMGM; odds subject to change
- Spread: LSU (-2.5)
- Moneyline: LSU (-160); Ole Miss (+130)
- Over/under: 58.5
What time is LSU football vs Ole Miss?
LSU kicks off against Ole Miss at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 19 inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi.
What channel is LSU vs Ole Miss football on?
LSU versus Ole Miss will air on ABC.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LSU-Ole Miss takes center stage as Lane Kiffin returns to Oxford. Latest news, updates
