College GameDay podcast makes picks for LSU at Ole Miss

Not even the oddsmakers are confident who will win between No. 13 Ole Miss and No. 4 LSU on Saturday. Alas, analysts have a job to do. On Wednesday, ESPN’s College GameDay Podcast hosts Pete Thamel and Rece Davis revealed their pick for the highly-anticipated SEC showdown.

“I’m leaning LSU. I just think the class of talent at Ole Miss is not what it was last year,” Thamel said. “I say the Tigers go in and roll.”

Ole Miss has looked plenty talented this season. The Rebels are 4-0 and coming off a statement 45-10 win over a talented Tulane squad. Alas, Thamel isn’t the only one who lacks confidence in Lane Kiffin and Co.

“I’m a believer in LSU,” Davis said. “LSU has not played to its potential offensively yet. How much of that is attributable to Garrett Nussmeier‘s core injury that apparently is getting better. We’ll see. I’m going to take LSU.”

While Ole Miss has had a strong start to the season, LSU isn’t ranked No. 4 in the country by accident. The Tigers began their season with a convincing win over Clemson. In Week 3, they added to their résumé with a triumph over Florida.

As Davis mentioned, LSU hasn’t hit its stride yet on offense this season, but the team’s defense has been stellar. LSU is only allowing 246.3 yards of offense per game, the 17th least in the country. In contrast, Ole Miss is giving up 356.8 yards per game to its opponents.

Of course, it’s worth noting that Ole Miss is hosting the game and will have the a home-field advantage. The Rebels went 6-1 last season at home, where they picked up wins over teams such as Georgia.

Both teams will have plenty of motivation. Neither Brian Kelly nor Lane Kiffin has led their respective school to the College Football Playoff. This game will likely loom large in CFP selection committee members’ minds in December.

“Really excited for this challenge,” Kiffin said. “To play at home and for first place in the SEC and to play a top three team in the country in LSU is an awesome opportunity for us. So, got to continue to have a great week of preparation. These guys probably have the best roster, since we’ve been here, from top to bottom and we’re going to have to prepare and play really well.”

Toward the end of the College GameDay Podcast episode, Rece Davis ultimately changed his prediction, giving Ole Miss the edge. Nonetheless, both Thamel and Davis are far from certain about their picks.

LSU and Ole Miss will face off at 2:30 p.m. CDT on Saturday. The game will air live on ABC.