The Lane Kiffin era is officially over in Oxford after the coveted head coach made the move from Ole Miss to LSU on Nov. 30 in an unprecedented move. No. 6 Ole Miss (11-1, 7-1 SEC) is College Football Playoff bound with a first-round matchup against the Tulane Green Wave locked in, but Kiffin will not be on the sidelines after departing for LSU.

Kickoff is Dec. 27 at 9:15 p.m. ET at NRG Stadium, airing on ESPN. ESPN's matchup predictor currently gives LSU a 67.4% chance of winning. This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Dec 11, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Lane Kiffin's return to Ole Miss as the LSU coach will come on Sept. 19 in what figures to be one of the most charged and raucous environments of the 2026 college football season. The game's date was revealed Thursday as the SEC announced its 2026 schedule, which will feature nine league contests for each team.

LSU will be making its fourth appearance in the Texas Bowl and the Tigers have a 2-1 record in the game. Last year, LSU beat Baylor, 44-31. LSU topped Patrick Mahomes and Texas Tech, 56-27, in its first appearance in the game in 2015. Kansas State handed the Tigers a 42-20 loss to cap the 2021 season.

Coach Brent Venables and the OU football team survived LSU for a 17-13 win Saturday that will all but lock up the Sooners’ first trip to the CFP since 2019.

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore is out as the head coach, Underwood could eye change of scenery in Transfer Portal.

The LSU Tigers secured a groundbreaking Nike deal through 2036, launching the innovative Nike Blue Ribbon Elite NIL program for unparalleled student-athlete brand opportunities.