Three Matchups That Will Decide LSU–Ole Miss, Plus 10 Other Can’t Miss Week 3 Games

Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford, Miss. for Tigers at Rebels headlines a strong Week 3 slate.

Trinidad Chambliss and Ole Miss will face their former coach Lane Kiffin, who now leads rival LSU, on Saturday. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The moment has finally arrived: Lane Kiffin, less than 10 months after leaving Ole Miss before the program’s first appearance in the College Football Playoff for SEC rival LSU, will return to Oxford, Miss. on Saturday night. And all eyes will be on what the Rebels players and fans have in store for him when he arrives. 

The top-10 showdown between LSU and Ole Miss is unquestionably the game of the week, so the Sports Illustrated watchability guide will specifically highlight the three most important matchups that will decide the outcome. Plus, we’ll have 10 more games for you to keep close by in case the Lane Bowl gets out of hand. Watching that much hatred can’t be good for anyone. 

Let’s get into it:

No. 7 LSU (2–0) at No. 8 Ole Miss (2–0)

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Matchup No. 1: LSU defensive line vs. Trinidad Chambliss’s escapability

The Tigers invested heavily across the roster this offseason, but perhaps nowhere more vitally than across the defensive front. It’s already paying dividends, with intra-SEC transfers Princewill Umanmielen (Ole Miss) and Jordan Ross (Tennessee) combining for 6.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss in two games. LSU as a team has 23 TFLs in two games, which will be necessary to stop a powerful back in Kewan Lacy. But the Tigers’ defensive line will be asked to do more than just charge down hill and stuff Lacy behind the line of scrimmage. The unit will also be tasked with keeping Chambliss on schedule and in the pocket. There may be no quarterback as lethal once improvising as the Rebels signal-caller, who isn’t afraid to call his own number from time to time. If the defensive line can make him uncomfortable, and then keep him in place, the entire defense should be in good shape. 

Matchup No. 2: Ole Miss WR Deuce Alexander vs. LSU CBs DJ Pickett/PJ Woodland

LSU’s outside defensive back pairing hasn’t been tested much in two weeks, in part because the front has been so good that quarterbacks haven’t been able to get the ball out. But because of Chambliss’s ability to extend plays, Pickett and Woodland will be busy in coverage for prolonged periods of time on Saturday. That’ll be particularly challenging for whichever player ends up getting tasked with covering Deuce Alexander on any given snap. The Ole Miss receiver burned Louisville for a pair of 62-yard touchdowns and when he gets into the open field he’s extremely difficult to catch. Don’t be surprised if a handful of LSU defenders are watching him each and every play.

DJ Pickett and the LSU secondary face a tough test against Ole Miss’s Deuce Alexander. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Matchup No. 3: LSU’s QB–Offensive Line Communication vs. Ole Miss Crowd Noise 

It’s hard to predict what the crowd in Oxford will be like on Saturday night. Sure, we know it’ll be loud, and the onslaught of boos will be directed largely toward Kiffin. But if we’re talking decibels, I have to imagine it will be borderline deafening. That means it’s likely that LSU will have to go with a silent count for most of, if not the entire evening. How will that work if Sam Leavitt, who was upgraded to questionable Thursday after an initial doubtful designation, hasn’t had a full slate of practice this week? Or what if his injury flares up and backup Landen Clark has to come in? That sort of communication between a quarterback and offensive line is vital in any sort of game, so for there to be any notion of uncertainty behind center should be a concern. 

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And now for the 10 other best games of the week …

Miami (2–0) at Wake Forest (2–0)

Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET, Fox

The Demon Deacons probably aren’t the solution to stopping the Darian Mensah–led juggernaut, but Wake is off a solid start in Year 2 under Jake Dickert. Ex-UNC quarterback Gio Lopez looks renewed under offensive coordinator Rob Ezell (672 total yards, six touchdowns, no turnovers) and the offense (42nd in scoring, 30th in yards per game) looks well-defined as a result. The Deacs’ defense will need to be up for the task when the Canes come to town for a matchup against Malachi Toney and an offense that is averaging 10.0 yards per play through two weeks.

No. 22 Houston (2–0) at No. 13 Texas Tech (2–0)

Friday, 8 p.m. ET, Fox

The Red Raiders already started playing with fire last week against Oregon State. Beavers quarterback Braden Atkinson picked apart the supposedly elite Texas Tech defense for 413 yards and two scores. So should we re-evaluate the ceiling for the Red Raiders? Probably not. An injury has kept key transfer edge rusher Trey White off the field through the first two weeks, but reports suggest he may be back for the program’s Big 12 opener. Houston’s defense, a unit also expected to be among the better in the conference this season, similarly had a difficult time limiting Oregon State (are the Beavs just better than we thought?), so both groups should have some clear takeaways going into this matchup. It’s been good to see former Tulane star RB Makhi Hughes back in action (5.7 yards per carry) for the Cougars after a lost 2025 season at Oregon. 

North Carolina (2–0) at Clemson (1–1)

Saturday, noon ET, ESPN/Disney+

Off-the-field issues have come to a pause, for now, in Chapel Hill, setting the stage for one of the most important on-field moments of the Bill Belichick era at UNC. The Tar Heels defense has been stifling through two weeks, allowing just three points over the last seven quarters and giving up less than four yards per play. Sophomore defensive lineman Xavier Lewis is the one to watch: He has an FBS-leading 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks in two games. Clemson’s offense, with a poor offensive line (21 TFL allowed) and shaky quarterback play, is susceptible to another rough outing. 

Saturday’s Clemson-North Carolina game could be a referendum on both Dabo Swinney and Bill Belichick. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

No. 16 SMU (2–0) at No. 23 Louisville (1–1)

Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

This game should be absolutely loaded with offense, if the first two weeks are any indication of what these programs will be this year. Both teams rank in the top 10 in yards per play (SMU is third at 9.2; Louisville 10th at 8.2) and the quarterback battle is tantalizing. Kevin Jennings has already produced over 800 yards of offense through two games and there’s tons of big-play potential in the Mustangs’ receiver room. Lincoln Kienholz is taking his first starting job in stride under Jeff Brohm, as evidenced by the second-half quarterback duel against Ole Miss, when he threw for 261 yards and two scores and went toe-to-toe with Trinidad Chambliss. Kienholz might already be among the most compelling QBs in the country to watch and SMU is the toughest test remaining on his schedule.

Mississippi State (2–0) at South Carolina (2–0)

Saturday, 4:15 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Speaking of quarterback duels, there may be none better than the one in Columbia, S.C. on Saturday. Early 2026 darling Kamario Taylor will square off against LaNorris Sellers, who was in a very similar place to Taylor in his first year as a starter. Sellers’s career started out hot, garnering early NFL draft buzz with over 3,300 yards and 25 total touchdowns in ’24. But after a down season in ’25, Sellers is on the path to redemption and the Gamecocks’ hopes of bouncing back lie largely with him. If you like mobile quarterbacks, who tend to pull jaw-dropping plays out of nowhere, this is the game for you.

Florida (2–0) at Auburn (2–0)

Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

A battle of new coaches kicks off another game of intrigue in the SEC as Jon Sumrall takes the Gators on the road to take on Alex Golesh and the Tigers. It’s been a mixed bag for the latter as USF quarterback Byrum Brown coughed up three interceptions that nearly cost Auburn the game in the opener against Baylor. A rout of Southern Miss was probably the confidence boost he needed, but it’s the Tigers’ defense that should be worried Saturday, even at home. Florida has played no one, and yet Jadan Baugh’s numbers already pop off the page. He leads FBS with 10.6 yards per carry (min. 20 carries) and already has five touchdowns. OC Buster Faulkner’s system is built around a heavy ground game and so far it’s working out nicely for the Gators.

Florida coach Jon Sumrall will face fellow first-year coach Alex Golesh in his first SEC conference game. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

West Virginia (2–0) at No. 25 Virginia (2–0)

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network

One of two border wars involving the state of Virginia on Saturday will pit the fast-rising Cavaliers against Rich Rodriguez’s Mountaineers. Both of these teams will run the football heavily, ranking in the top 10 in rushing attempts per game through two weeks. And both have versatile, oftentimes run-first quarterbacks with WVU’s Michael Hawkins Jr. (26 carries, 199 yards, three touchdowns) and UVA’s Beau Pribula (17 carries, 102 yards). I like that I’ve already seen Virginia’s defense stifle a ground attack against NC State, whereas West Virginia, though also good against the run, got pushed around in the fourth quarter against Coastal Carolina. 

Colorado (2–0) at Northwestern (1–0)

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, Fox

The farewell to Northwestern’s temporary lakeside stadium will be one of the venue’s highest profile games as Coach Prime and the Buffs come to town. Colorado is playing smash-mouth football and has three rotating running backs that can make waves behind an improved offensive line. That takes the pressure off of Julian Lewis, who just has to stay clean and has thus far with five touchdowns to zero interceptions. The Buffs should expect a run-game battle against a Wildcats team that also has three backs and mobile quarterback Aidan Chiles. Northwestern, typically known for a struggling offense, averaged 9.0 yards per play in their first and only game thus far, albeit against the FCS’s South Dakota State.

Virginia Tech (2–0) at Maryland (2–0)

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, FS1

The history between these two coaches has flown a bit under the radar nationally, but could lead to some similar tension to Ole Miss-LSU, which kicks off at the same time. Back in 2024, James Franklin, then at Penn State, kept scoring on the Terps, leading to a heated conversation between Franklin and Maryland coach Mike Locksley at midfield after the game. Their connection dates back to being assistants on the same Terrapins staff from 2000 to ’02. Franklin eventually returned to the program as offensive coordinator in ’08 and was named the coach-in-waiting, but that never came to fruition. The now–Virginia Tech coach speaks positively of Locksley and the Terps in public, though surely will want to deliver a statement win come Saturday.

James Franklin has a long history with Mike Locksley and Maryland. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

James Madison (2–0) at San Diego State (1–1)

Saturday, 10 p.m. ET, CW

Count me in on the Dukes for the third-straight coaching regime. No Curt Cignetti, no Bob Chesney, no problem. The opener against Liberty might’ve been low-scoring, but JMU scored on every possession with Week 1 starting QB JC Evans behind center. Evans got hurt on a drive late in the first-half and gave way to Camden Coleman, who had a difficult time after an initial touchdown drive, but did just lead the offense to 87 points against Wagner last week. San Diego State is traditionally a tough out defensively under Sean Lewis, and yet has struggled to get off the field at times against Portland State and UCLA.

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