SEC Heavyweight Showdown Ranked No. 1 ‘Revenge Game’ for 2026 Season

The 2026 college football schedule is loaded with payback storylines after ESPN released kickoff times and TV slots for more than two dozen marquee games on Tuesday. Alabama, Texas and Ohio State all landed on the list, but one matchup separated itself from the field.

On3's J.D. PicKell joined the Crain & Cone show to rank the top five revenge games of the upcoming season. The crew settled on a unanimous choice at the top.

LSU at Ole Miss on Sept. 19 was their pick, and the conversation never really considered an alternative.

Why Lane Kiffin's return to Oxford lands at No. 1

The pick boils down to one man and the way he left town. Kiffin coached the Rebels to an 11-1 regular season in 2025 before bolting for LSU as the program prepared for its first College Football Playoff appearance.

Pete Golding then guided Ole Miss to a 13-2 finish and a CFP semifinal berth before taking over the program full-time.

PicKell summed up the temperature on the podcast.

"If you talk about venom and hatred and vitriol, LSU-Ole Miss stands alone."

Jake Crain went a step further, putting the matchup above the sport's signature rivalries.

"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but you can include Ohio State-Michigan and Auburn-Alabama, I think there's going to be more hate in this one. Like pure, unadulterated hate. Think about the two tsunamis about to hit each other. It's got like 300 vibes."

What's at stake for both sides in Week 3

The football matters as much as the soap opera. ESPN slotted LSU at No. 9 in its way-too-early Top 25, with Kiffin inheriting a roster valued at a reported $40 million and Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt under center.

Ole Miss checked in at No. 15 in On3's early rankings and could push higher once preseason polls drop in August. Trinidad Chambliss returns at quarterback after a Heisman-caliber 2025, and running back Kewan Lacy stayed put after rumors he might follow Kiffin to Baton Rouge.

Golding gets his shot at proving Kiffin made a mistake. Kiffin gets his shot at proving he didn't.

A 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on ABC means a national audience and a Vaught-Hemingway Stadium crowd that has been waiting nine months for this. The Oxford Police Department is already preparing for an atmosphere far outside the normal SEC range.

David Cone framed the layered hostility on the pod.

"You want revenge in the game because you're headed into a place that beat you last year, but you took their head coach."

For Kiffin, the road to Oxford runs through Death Valley first. LSU travels to Oxford to play Ole Miss on Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

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