No. 9 Mississippi and No. 13 LSU resume their rivalry with CFP stakes in play

No. 9 Mississippi (5-1, 1-1 SEC) at No. 13 LSU (4-1, 1-0), Saturday 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)

BetMGM College Football Odds: Mississippi by 3.

Series record: LSU leads 65-43-4.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

The loser of this year’s “Magnolia Bowl” rivalry game will have an uphill climb and might be reliant on factors outside of its control, in order to climb back into contention for a spot in the new 12-team College Football Playoff. Ole Miss already has a loss in league play in the race to the SEC championship game.

KEY MATCHUP

Ole Miss’ explosive passing offense, which is led by QB Jaxson Dart and ranks second nationally with 372.8 yards per game, against an LSU pass defense that has struggled intermittently with coverage busts and missed tackles, and which ranks 93rd nationally, giving up 236.4 yards per game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Mississippi: Dart has passed for 2,100 yards and 13 touchdowns against two interceptions. He leads the SEC in five categories and is among the top six in FBS in six.

LSU: QB Garrett Nussmeier leads the SEC in TDs passing with 15 and his 330.4 yards passing per game ranks second behind only Dart’s 350-yard average.

FACTS & FIGURES

Lane Kiffin could become the fastest Ole Miss coach to reach 40 wins. Kiffin is 39-16 with the Rebels in his fifth season with the program. John Vaught was 40-16-3 in his first 59 games and is one of only three Ole Miss coaches to win 40 games. … With a 23-8 career mark as the Ole Miss starter, Jaxson Dart could match Eli Manning (24-13) and Bo Wallace (24-15) as the program’s winningest quarterback. … With a win, Dart (23-8) would tie for the most starting wins by a Rebel QB in the modern era (since 1968). … LSU is 43-24-1 against Ole Miss in games played in Baton Rouge. … This marks the 12th time both teams have been ranked when they’ve met. LSU has won seven of the previous 11. … Kiffin and LSU coach Brian Kelly are the only two active SEC coaches to win 100 or more games in the NCAA’s top-tier Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Kiffin has 100 victories and Kelly has 190 in the FBS and an additional 118 at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level, giving him the most victories of any active college football coach.

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