LSU and Ole Miss’s Week 3 game was already set to be one of the biggest Magnolia Bowls in some time.
Sunday’s AP Poll, though, has added another wrinkle.
LSU, which moved to No. 7 after a dominant second half against Louisiana Tech, and Ole Miss, ranked No. 8 after a home blowout of Charlotte, will meet as Top 10 teams. The last time that happened was in 1962, when the No. 6 Rebels topped the No. 4 Tigers 15-7 in Death Valley.
The main headline going into this one was always going to be Lane Kiffin‘s return to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium after leaving for LSU. After a rout of Clemson in Week 1, the Tigers weren’t at their best in Week 2 against La. Tech before eventually pulling away. That effort won’t get it done in front of a hostile crowd in Oxford. Meanwhile, the Rebels found themselves in a dogfight with Louisville in Nashville, but had an easier time with an overmatched Charlotte.
Outside of the obvious narratives, this game will be important for each team’s SEC and College Football Playoff hopes. The Rebels, of course, came one win shy of a national championship game appearance. The Tigers haven’t been since running the table in 2019.
As Kiffin (infamously) said several years ago, get your popcorn ready.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
