As LSU football fans are well aware, Lane Kiffin’s late-season exit from the Ole Miss Rebels was one of the biggest stories of the College Football Playoff. Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss received a mountain of credit for making things work without him, but perhaps it was Kiffin’s ability to set the team up that gave it momentum into the playoff.
2026 will be the test to see whether he drove the Ole Miss train in 2025. With so many eyes on Kiffin, here’s a look at the biggest games on the schedule and the toughest.
Top 3 Biggest Opponents On LSU’s Schedule
The Ole Miss Rebels won’t wait long to play against the team’s former coach in a matchup that will take place on Sept. 19. Kiffin won’t be thrown a bone on the location, with the contest taking place at Ole Miss. Kiffin’s return will be one of the biggest games of the regular season in college football and an early indication of how his new team is settling in.
Seemingly most college teams have been given a relatively manageable opponent to start their season. LSU has a tough one from a brand-name program out of the gates with the Clemson Tigers. The program that crafted Deshaun Watson will give Kiffin an early test with a winning record in every season dating back to 2010. A win will give Kiffin some momentum, while a loss will leave fans ammunition to call the team a failure.
The Tennessee Volunteers will be the first of a two-game road trip for the Tigers. A struggle against Tennessee could lead to a losing streak to close the season, which would be a disastrous way to end Kiffin’s season. The Volunteers have been no slouch, with double-digit wins in two of the team’s last four seasons. Expect a show that could be a de facto playoff game.
3 Games Where Lane Kiffin’s Squad Will Fall Short
The Alabama Crimson Tide showed in 2025 that they don’t need established names to win games. If Alabama can materialize another Ty Simpson and Lane Kiffin isn’t ready, he could be caught flat-footed. He will have the benefit of home-field advantage and a significant amount of tape to study in the lead-up to the game, but it still might not be enough.
The Texas Longhorns are gearing up for what many expect to be a national championship-level season. If Arch Manning delivers on that front, Kiffin will have his hands full as he tries to elevate a team to the top of the college football pecking order overnight. Expect a show, but one that Kiffin might find himself as the underdog in when the matchup rolls around on Nov. 14.
The Texas A&M Aggies are coming off an 11-2 season, so expect Kiffin’s squad to have its hands full less than a full month into the season after a brutal and potentially emotionally draining matchup against Ole Miss the previous week. If Kiffin defeats Ole Miss but loses to Texas A&M, he might not hate that result, which is what makes the matchup so dangerous.
Overview
Lane Kiffin has a lot on the line, but the schedule doesn’t do him many favors. A brutal opening slate and a tough stretch in the middle and late parts of the year could do his team in. It will take perfect communication from Kiffin and focus from his team to move as one against teams that will be much more well-practiced in their systems.
Here’s a look at the upcoming gauntlet, courtesy of ESPN.
| Date | Opponent | Time (EST) |
| Sat, Sept 5 | vs Clemson | 7:30 PM |
| Sat, Sept 12 | vs Louisiana Tech | 7:30 PM |
| Sat, Sept 19 | @ Ole Miss | 7:30 PM |
| Sat, Sept 26 | vs Texas A&M | TBD |
| Sat, Oct 3 | vs McNeese | 7:45 PM |
| Sat, Oct 10 | @ Kentucky | TBD |
| Sat, Oct 17 | vs Mississippi State | TBD |
| Sat, Oct 24 | @ Auburn | 12:00 PM |
| Sat, Nov 7 | vs Alabama | TBD |
| Sat, Nov 14 | vs Texas | TBD |
| Sat, Nov 21 | @ Tennessee | TBD |
| Sat, Nov 28 | @ Arkansas | TBD |
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