LSU opens as 2.5 point favorite over Ole Miss

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The top 10 battle between Ole Miss and LSU figures to be a close one that will be decided by a field goal, according to oddsmakers.

No. 8 Ole Miss (2-0) and No. 7 LSU (2-0) kickoff on Saturday at 6 p.m. in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, and Vegas oddsmakers are giving a -2.5 spread in favor of the Tigers currently.

The last three games in this heated rivalry have been decided by less than a touchdown. Ole Miss defeated LSU last season 24-19 in Oxford en route to a College Football Playoff berth and historic 11-1 season. The Rebels have also won three out of the last five games in the series.

Ole Miss is 0-2 against the spread so far this season while LSU is 2-0 with blowout wins over Clemson and Louisiana Tech. One huge question is if Ole Miss’ defense will be the first to slow down the Tigers offense this season. As much as Pete Golding saw the last few years of the Lane Kiffin offense, it could be a low scoring chess match between the two head ball coaches.

Tensions are going to be at a fever pitch this week as Kiffin makes his return to Ole Miss for the first time as head coach at LSU. As an Ole Miss fan, you’d like to think the team wants nothing more than to spoil that return and show its former head coach up.

The enormous task for both coaching staffs this week however will be keeping focus in this game. It will be hard for any player to truly believe this is “just another game” or an “opportunity to go 1-0” with how messily Kiffin left the program last year.

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