LSU football faces Ole Miss this week. It's one of the biggest games on the 2026 college football schedule. The meeting pits LSU head coach Lane Kiffin against his former team after his dramatic exit from Oxford last fall.
Kiffin's return will be the main storyline this week. But this game has implications far beyond the melodramatic coaching narrative. This game has College Football Playoff and, potentially, national title implications.
Assuming LSU and Ole Miss are both locks for the CFP if they win 10 games, this contest will have a massive swing on playoff odds. The betting market implies LSU has a 59.4% chance to make the College Football Playoff. Ole Miss has a 35% chance.
The next two weeks are pivotal for LSU. After the trip to Ole Miss,
LSU returns home to face Texas A&M in Week 4. That's back-to-back games vs. top-10 ranked opponents.
If LSU beats Ole Miss this week, the Tigers have margin for error vs. Texas A&M. After LSU plays A&M, Kiffin and Co. have four straight games where LSU will be the favorite. If LSU beats Ole Miss and loses to A&M, the Tigers are still likely to enter November with one loss. On the other hand, if LSU loses this week, Texas A&M becomes a must-win in some ways. LSU can't afford to leave September with two losses given what's on the November schedule.
For Ole Miss, the stakes are equally as high. Ole Miss ranks No. 20 in ESPN's SP+ rankings. Power ratings don't love this Ole Miss team, at least as a national title contender. If Ole Miss loses, the Rebels hit the road to take on Florida next week. There's a chance Pete Golding's squad is an underdog at the Gators. An Ole Miss loss this week would put incredible pressure on the Rebels for the rest of the season.
Ole Miss's schedule includes meetings with Texas and Georgia, the top-two ranked teams in the AP Poll.
The stakes are clear. The winner of this game has a clear path to the College Football Playoff and some room for error. The loser can afford only one more loss the rest of the way against a brutal schedule.
LSU football's odds to make the College Football Playoff
According to FanDuel, LSU football's odds to make the College Football Playoff are -165.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU vs Ole Miss: The Lane Kiffin Game has massive playoff implications
