All eyes are on Saturday night in Oxford, Mississippi, as No. 8 Ole Miss hosts No. 7 LSU. Of course, it's not just a clash between two top-10 teams, or two gritty SEC rivals; it's also Lane Kiffin's first game back against his former team. Given how he left Ole Miss last year, the environment is expected to be hostile, and Rebels fans are gearing up to do all they can to get in LSU's head.
Kiffin's no stranger to this stadium, though, and with all the animosity building for this matchup, he knows what to expect. As a result, he's been getting his players ready for the crowd noise on Saturday, reportedly hiring fraternity members to heckle Tigers players before practice, with LSU students showing up outside the facility holding handmade signs and showering the players with boos. More news: College Football Star Still Sidelined by Serious Injury, No Timetable Yet It's an unusual way to prepare your players for a road environment, but Kiffin needs any edge he can get.
This is the same Rebels team he coached for six seasons before leaving at the last minute to take over at LSU on a reported $90 million contract. At the time, Ole Miss was set to play in the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history. Safe to say bailing on the Rebels right after they made the CFP didn't sit well with fans in Oxford.
More news: UNC Turns to Another Belichick After Bombshell Investigation More news: NFL Shuts Door on 2 Players After Failed Return to College Football Now he's walking back into that same stadium, this time as the opposing coach. College GameDay will be there, security will be on high alert, and Oxford police are reportedly pulling out all the stops for Saturday night, adding extra horse-mounted patrols around town. It's rare for a college football game to come with genuine security concerns, even in the SEC.
But that should tell you how personal this one feels.
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