No. 13 LSU (3-1, 2-0 SEC) at No. 20 Mississippi (3-1, 0-1), Saturday, 6 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Line: LSU by 2 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook
Series record: LSU leads 65-42-4.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
The winner stays firmly in the SEC West hunt, though the Rebels just absorbed a loss to No. 12 Alabama. There's no runaway favorite in what appears to be a tightly packed division at the top, so these head-to-head matchups are huge. Rebels coach Lane Kiffin could use a big league win after going 1-5 in his past six SEC games and losing the last four. The defending division champion Tigers are trying to claw their way back into the Top 10.
KEY MATCHUP
Both defensive fronts face challenges in facing quarterbacks who are dangerous passers and also strong runners. Arkansas' KJ Jefferson had some running success against the Tigers last week. Alabama's Jalen Milroe ripped off a couple of big runs on the opening drive against the Rebels. LSU's Jayden Daniels and Ole Miss's Jaxson Dart are capable of doing the same. They're 1-2 in the SEC in total offense.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
LSU: WR Brian Thomas can make defenses pay for focusing too much on Tigers star Malik Nabers. Thomas had five catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns against Arkansas. He already has five TD catches, tying Nabers for the team lead.
Mississippi: Dart needs a bounce-back week after getting largely contained by Alabama's defense. He was 20-of-35 passing for 235 yards with an interception and no touchdowns, and also had no room to run. The offense only produced 10 points.
FACTS & FIGURES
It's only the teams' second September matchup since 1941.. ... Ole Miss and LSU are both ranked entering the game for the first time since 2016. The Tigers are 7-3 against Ole Miss when both teams are ranked. ... The Tigers have won six of the last seven meetings. ... Daniels leads the SEC and is third nationally in total offense, producing 372.3 yards a game. He's the first LSU quarterback to account for at least four touchdowns in three straight games since Joe Burrow did it in his final three college games in 2019. ... Mississippi State is the only team Ole Miss has faced more than LSU.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll
