NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) -There’s no “I” in team, but there is in Kiffin, two to be exact. While LSU’s head coach has tried to downplay the attention surrounding his dramatic departure from Ole Miss for a conference rival, Matt Moscona says Saturday’s LSU-Ole Miss game is quite singular.

“From the casual fan interest, this is absolutely about Lane Kiffin. For LSU and Ole Miss, who are both teams desperately trying to get to the College Football Playoff, this is about winning a football game that’s going to be super impactful in the conference and national standings, but this is absolutely about Lane Kiffin going back to Oxford,” said Matt Moscona, host of the Locked On LSU Podcast.

With names like Billy Cannon, Nick Saban and Archie Manning, rivalries run deep in the SEC, but Moscona says the one between the Tigers and the Rebels hasn’t necessarily been the most heated.

“A big part of that, quite honestly, is Ole Miss just hasn’t kept up their end of the bargain. They haven’t won a conference title in 60 years,” Moscona said.

Fast forward, Kiffin leads Ole Miss to prominence, then leaves for Baton Rouge. The showdown now looks very different and we’re talking about extra security in Oxford.

“You know it’s been a great rivalry LSU and Ole Miss. It’s going to be another great rivalry. This is the first time that LSU and Ole Miss have been ranked in the top 10 since 1962,” said Verge Ausberry, Vice President/Director of Athletics for LSU.

Wherever it fits in SEC history, Matt Moscona says this LSU-Ole Miss rivalry seems to pull people in.

“I don’t know if anything will ever surpass in-state rivalries like the Iron Bowl with Alabama and Auburn because those people live with each other every year, but this is effectively like a spouse leaving a partner for the better-looking neighbor. There are real relational things tied into this that humans can understand and relate to,” Moscona said.

Barely three weeks into the season, it’s hard to see how the stakes and anticipation for any other game could be any higher.

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