ESPN College GameDay picks the LSU vs. Ole Miss game

Who did Nick Saban and the ESPN College GameDay crew pick in the LSU vs. Ole Miss game on Saturday afternoon in Oxford?

With a wave of Top 25 matchups that will shake up the polls and help gain more clarity as to what the race for the College Football Playoffs might look like entering the month of October, here’s how the ESPN crew sees the Top 15 matchup between the Tigers and Rebels play out on Saturday when the 4-0 teams kick off at 2:45 p.m. CT.

Rece Davis (from the CollegeGame Day Podcast): “I’m a believer in LSU. 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.”

Desmond Howard: “Ole Miss, I think, is going to win. It’s going to be a close game, a low-scoring game, but I am going with Ole Miss.”

Kirk Herbstreit: “It is a rare opportunity for Brian Kelly to look at his team in pre-game and have them feel disrespected coming into this game. They are an underdog on the road, and they have one of the best defenses, if not the top defense, in the country. I like LSU to go on the road and win a tough one against Ole Miss.

Pat McAfee: “I think (LSU linebacker Whit Weeks) has been distracted by a Kiffin plant that has been placed down there. This has been the week of Lane Kiffin with the documentary and interviews, and I think that continues this weekend. Give me the D-II National Champion (Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss) to lead Ole Miss to a big-time (win) over LSU.”

Nick Saban: “I think the one thing about Ole Miss is they struggled against Georgia, they struggled against (Alabama), when they couldn’t match up up front and make the running game go so that they could make explosive plays downfield. I don’t think they match up with LSU’s defensive front, so I am going to go with LSU.”

LaVar Arrington (Guest Picker): “Lane Kiffin is an exciting guy to watch coach games, and I think coming into this one, this is a statement game for them to get through it. While they don’t have their starting quarterback, I still think this team will do what they need to do at home to get this game. I am going with Ole Miss.”

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LSU vs. Ole Miss: The Bengal Tiger staff’s Game Predictions

Here are our predictions and how we believe the game will play out on Saturday night.

Bryce Koon

From a national perspective there seems to be a divide in how these teams are perceived.

On one hand, Ole Miss’s electric offense hasn’t faced a defense that can be considered even middle of the road yet. In LSU’s side, the vaunted defense is being doubted by some after seeing offenses like Clemson and Florida sputter.

Something has to give, and I trust LSU’s defense and Blake Baker on the road. This will be a breakout game for the LSU offense, as Nussmeier sends his Heisman stock back up the charts with a double-digit win for the Tigers

Prediction: LSU 35, Ole Miss 24

Matthew Brune

We know both of these teams are good, but what makes this game fun is we finally get to see who’s the real contender in the SEC this year. This is an awesome match up of strength vs. strength as two elite coordinators will battle it out with some high-level players.

On paper, I still think this LSU team is more talented at most positions and overall as a roster. A healthy Garrett Nussmeier and a healthy Trey’Dez Green means a lot to this offense and should give them the ability to pressure the middle of the field more than they have this season. I know everyone wants the run game to get going, but to me, this offense will go as Nussmeier does. If he’s sharp and they can protect him, I think getting to the 20s won’t be a challenge. I’m interested to see how Brian Kelly plays this as well, as Lane Kiffin is one of the most aggressive coaches in the country, while Kelly has been very conservative to this point.

Then we flip the script and this is where I believe LSU wins the game. The Tigers defense will be able to slow down this passing attack with an elite secondary, mix up the looks on Trinidad Chambliss, and ultimately contain his legs with the speed between Whit Weeks and Harold Perkins. This front is good enough to stop the run and I think Baker just has too much talent to let the Rebels find a rhythm.

This game being on the road brings a certain element of uncertainty and hesitation for me this week, but it feels like everything is in place for LSU to hit it stride and get a massive road win.

Prediction: LSU 24, Ole Miss 20

Shea Dixon

For me, this is the most anticipated game across the first month of the season, even beyond the Week 1 road win at Clemson. This will go a long way to determining if LSU makes the CFB Playoffs, and the same goes for the Rebels. This is the best defense LSU has had since the 2019 National Championship season, and given the offense doesn’t have the same fire power as Burrow and Co.’s ability to run up and down the field and score 50 each game, the defense becomes even more paramount for the Tigers.

My MVP prediction on defense is Whit Weeks, but not for the reason you think… LSU’s captain on defense will play a key role in slowing down the Ole Miss run game while keeping an eye on dual-threat quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. On offense, my MVP prediction goes to Aaron Anderson. I trust that when plays need to be made, he can make them – and that proved to be the case in this game a year ago, one Ole Miss led or was tied in for every snap until the Tigers scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime.

Kiffin said to take the over, but that’s rat poison. Expect this to be a lower-scoring game where the likelihood of both teams scoring below 30 points is high. I don’t think either team will settle for many field goals, but also think one of those field goals will be the difference when the scoreboard hits zero. Buckle in. This game is going to be a fun one.

Shea’s Pick: LSU 24, Ole Miss 21