LSU Picked as Ole Miss Football's 'Season-Defining' 2023 Game by ESPN

Ole Miss Rebels football has an extremely tough schedule ahead of them in 2023, and ESPN has made their choice for which game will define the team's season.

The Ole Miss Rebels might have the toughest schedule in the entire country in 2023, facing off with Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, Mississippi State and the defending Cotton Bowl Champion Tulane Green Wave all on the road. 

Not to mention tough home matchups against the LSU Tigers, Texas A&M Aggies and Arkansas Razorbacks as well. 

However, according to ESPN, only one of those games is set to define the Rebels 2023 season. 

And surprisingly, it is not perennial powers Alabama and Georgia, but the Rebels rival from the Pelican State, LSU, on September 30.

Ole Miss raced out to a 7-0 start last season and feasted on a schedule that was pretty soft up until that point. The Rebels won't have that luxury in 2023. They close the month of September with back-to-back games against Alabama and LSU. And as big as that Sept. 23 game is against Alabama in Tuscaloosa, it's the game the next week against LSU that really has a chance to set the tone for the Rebels' season. It's the start of a stretch that will see Lane Kiffin's club play four of five SEC games at home. Four of those five opponents are Western Division foes, too, so building momentum with a home win over the team that won the West title last season would be a terrific way to enter the month of October. Ole Miss lost 45-20 last season at LSU, which was the Rebels' first loss of the season. Ole Miss has also lost six of the past seven games in the series. -- Chris Low

To make things even more interesting, the Rebels will be looking for revenge when the Tigers head to Oxford next season, after blowing a 17-3 lead in Baton Rouge last season en route to a 45-20 loss. 

And while that might be a tough task after a trip to Tuscaloosa to face the Crimson Tide, the new-look Rebels and head coach Lane Kiffin are surely up for the challenge. 

You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

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