This Will Be The Most Interesting Test LSU Faces All Season

The LSU Tigers head into the 2026 season with a new sense of excitement following a rough season in 2025. The Tigers have a new leader of the program in place with head coach Lane Kiffin hired to take over at LSU and bring the team back into national title contention.

And in his first season at the helm, Kiffin faces plenty of challenges with the Tigers' upcoming schedule. The tests start from week one, opening the season against the Clemson Tigers, who also look for a bounce-back season and the first year with a nine-game SEC schedule.

LSU won't return to the field until Sep. 5, facing off against Clemson in the first game of the Kiffin era in Baton Rouge. Looking at the entirety of the Tigers' schedule, one game on the calendar stands out among the rest as the most intriguing.

LSU Faces Unique Challenge in SEC Opener

Former Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin — Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin and Mississippi Rebels defensive coordinator Pete Golding watch during the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

That game won't be obvious right away with the Tigers facing off against some of top teams in the SEC with battles against Alabama, Texas and Texas A&M, however another one of those games sticks out for things both on and off the field.

And that game is the Tigers' first game of conference play when they prepare to hit the road and take on the Ole Miss Rebels on Sept. 19. Not only is the matchup against the Rebels, who made their way to the College Football Playoff semifinals a season ago, but added onto the game's excitement is Kiffin's return to Oxford.

It was the biggest story of the coaching carousel this year if Kiffin was going to leave a place he helped build for six seasons, and at what point in the season was he leaving. Ultimately, the situation ended with Kiffin becoming the Tigers' new head coach and leaving the Rebels before the start of the postseason.

The game will be amplified with Kiffin's return to Vaught Hemingway Stadium, a place where he shaped Ole Miss into becoming a true contender in the SEC. The reception from the Ole Miss fans should not be expected to be welcoming when their former head coach steps onto the field in mid-September.

Outside of the noise off the field, on the field, the matchup is just as difficult with the talent the Rebels return from the team that was just a game away from the national championship game.

Ole Miss returns breakout star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who tossed for 3,937 yards and 22 touchdowns with only three interceptions. Coming back to the squad and rejoining Chambliss in the backfield is dynamic running back Kewan Lacy, who rushed for 1,567 yards and 24 touchdowns.

LSU battles a Rebels team loaded with talent, combined with the storylines outside of the game with Kiffin's return to Ole Miss, and facing off against his former defensive coordinator and new Ole Miss head coach, Pete Golding, makes for a must-watch game.

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