Ole Miss Football will play in one of its most anticipated games in program history on Saturday. Not only is this the first game between the Rebels and the Tigers since last season’s coaching change, but this matchup has College Football Playoff implications and could define the Ole Miss season. This Week 3 showdown is just as critical off the field as it is on the field — for the rest of the season and beyond.
With numerous narratives surrounding this game, it can be easy to forget that this is both teams’ first conference game of the season.
Current LSU head coach Lane Kiffin brought many improvements to Ole Miss during his time with the Rebels. The program saw unparalleled amounts of success when he was head coach. However, everyone also saw just how stellar Golding’s first offseason in Kiffin’s place went. Golding brought in the No. 2 portal class, and the Rebels’ class of 2027 recruiting class is currently No. 14, so Ole Miss is faring well without Kiffin so far.
Since most Rebels did not follow Kiffin to LSU, many players from the Kiffin era remain on the Ole Miss roster, which fuels the narrative that Kiffin built the 2026 Ole Miss Football team. Beating LSU would debunk that notion.
While Kiffin was a reason for the Rebels’ success in the past six years, Ole Miss will look to prove that he has nothing to do with its success going forward. Winning on Saturday will show that, outside of the Ole Miss and LSU matchup every other year, this team has nothing to do with Kiffin.
If Ole Miss loses to LSU, the idea that the Rebels cannot win without Kiffin will likely prevail, no matter how successful a season the Rebels have the rest of the way. Still, the focus for Golding and his team is on the game, not the outside noise.
“We’ve got a mature enough group to understand that it’s going to be a hard football game. (LSU has) a really good football team,” Golding said in a press conference on Monday. “(The Tigers) have a good quarterback. (They) have good skill. (They are) really good on defense, but we have good players, too, and we’re about to prepare the right way this week.”
An on-field storyline for this weekend is Ole Miss’ lack of intensity so far this season. Statistically, the offense is still fast-paced, but it has a slower feel compared to the offenses of recent years.
While the unit has 41 points in both games this season, it still lacks explosiveness. If there was ever a time for the high-octane Ole Miss offense to come back and reestablish itself for the rest of the season, it is this Saturday.
“(The team will) be locked in. I think they’ll be focused,” Golding said. “Obviously, we have to do a good job as coaches to give them really good plans and put them in a good position to be able to have success, but if they can’t get up for this, we’re not going to allow them to play the game.”
The team that prepares the best, pushes aside the outside distractions and makes the proper adjustments will win. Golding’s goal this week is to execute well in practice and set the Rebels up for success.
“It’s like high school homecoming. If you focus on the wrong s–t, that homecoming dance ain’t very fun after you get your butt beat on a Friday night,” Golding said. “We have to make sure we’re doing everything right throughout the week to get the outcome that we want.”
This is the first time both teams are ranked in the AP Poll Top 10 since 1962. The home team has won 12 of the last 14 games in this matchup.
The past three games between the Rebels and the Tigers have been thrilling, intense matchups. Ole Miss won by six points in 2023, LSU snuck out an overtime win in 2024 and quarterback Trinidad Chambliss led the way in the Rebels’ 5-point win a year ago.
“It’s been a really good game every year that I’ve been here,” Golding said. “It’s come down to the last play pretty much every year, and one of those (went) to overtime. (The players are) excited for the opportunity to be on a national stage versus a really good football team.”
The bottom line is that winning a close, tough game against a blue-blood football program would push the Rebels in the rankings and give them a strong resume win for the CFP.
This is certainly more than just a run-of-the-mill Week 3 game. Whoever can execute better will come out on top, and that is what matters.
