All eyes in the college football world on Saturday are on the primetime matchup in Oxford, Mississippi, between the No. 7 LSU Tigers and the No. 8 Ole Miss Rebels.
While it’s a great matchup from a player perspective, a lot of the drama stems from LSU head coach Lane Kiffin.
Kiffin coached the Rebels for the last six years before ultimately leaving the program right before the College Football Playoff and heading to Baton Rouge to take the Tigers job.
Leading up to the game, ESPN’s “College GameDay” was in attendance, and the panel of Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit, and celebrity guest picker Morgan Freeman made their predictions.
Saban Stands Alone in Prediction
Only one person didn’t side with the rest of the crew on set, and it was Saban.
He was the only one to predict that LSU, a program where he won a national championship and where one of his former staffers now serves as head coach, would go on the road and beat Ole Miss in what should be a raucous atmosphere.
The only person on College Gameday to pick LSU over Ole Miss? š¤
Nick Saban š pic.twitter.com/oKClB1WHOn
ā DraftKings (@DraftKings) September 19, 2026
Key Storylines for LSU-Ole Miss Matchup
While obviously the biggest storyline entering the game surrounds Kiffin, there was another big development this week.
LSU star quarterback Sam Leavitt appeared on Wednesday’s injury report as doubtful with a shoulder issue.
However, Leavitt improved each day, and LSU cleared him to play Saturday night. Many believe Kiffin used the injury report to play mind games, as he’s done many times before.
Despite being at home, Ole Miss is a slight 2.5-point underdog against the Tigers, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
Nick Saban Stands Alone With Prediction on Who Will Win LSU-Ole Miss Game