Week 3 Prediction: LSU Tigers vs. Ole Miss Rebels
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The LSU Tigers improved to 2-0 with a victory over Louisiana Tech at Tiger Stadium on Saturday night. Now, the attention is turned to what could be one of the most anticipated matchups of the college football season.
The LSU-Ole Miss rivalry rarely needs any additional storylines, but this year’s matchup has one that will be impossible to ignore.
Lane Kiffin returns to Oxford.
Both teams enter the game at 2-0, but they took very different paths Saturday night. While LSU eventually pulled away for a convincing 45-14 victory, the Tigers were anything but sharp early. They committed four first-half turnovers, including three interceptions by quarterback Sam Leavitt, and took just a 10-7 lead into halftime before finding their rhythm in the second half.
Ole Miss had a much easier night, cruising past Charlotte 41-9.
As you may remember, Ole Miss defeated LSU 24-19 last season in Oxford, handing the then-No. 4 Tigers their first loss of the season when Trinidad Chambliss threw for 314 yards in the victory.
Now, LSU returns to Oxford with Chambliss once again standing on the opposite sideline — but this time, the coach who helped build Ole Miss into a playoff contender will be leading the Tigers.
For Kiffin, the trip back to Oxford will undoubtedly bring plenty of emotion, along with an electric and extremely hostile atmosphere. But once the ball is kicked off, LSU will have an opportunity to make a much bigger statement.
A road victory over a top SEC opponent would provide another early indication that the Tigers are capable of being legitimate contenders in Kiffin’s first season in Baton Rouge. And there might not be a more fitting place for Kiffin and LSU to make that statement than Oxford.
However, I just don’t know if LSU can overcome the emotion and hostility that will be pouring out of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
The Tigers certainly have the talent to leave Oxford with a victory, but after watching LSU struggle with turnovers against Louisiana Tech, protecting the football will be even more important in an environment where every mistake could send the crowd and Ole Miss into a frenzy.
LSU can match Ole Miss talent for talent. The bigger question is whether the Tigers can handle what will undoubtedly be a very hostile atmosphere, which could ultimately prove to be their biggest challenge of the season.
MY PREDICTION: OLE MISS 48 – LSU 41
The LSU Tigers will face off against the Ole Miss Rebels as 2.5-point favorites on Saturday, Sept. 19, at Vaught–Hemingway Stadium in Oxford.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC.
Check out the rest of the NCAA odds from our friends at FanDuel at College Football Odds
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