The 2026 season hasn’t even started yet, and LSU Tigers head honcho Lane Kiffin already got one over the place he once called home: the Ole Miss Rebels. But, however, this time isn’t on the gridiron, but on the 78 x 27 box. And Tigers fans today? Oh, they’re loving every seconds of it after Kiffin sprinkled a little salt in the wound after the SEC season opener!!
On March 1st, Lane Kiffin jumped onto his X handle to celebrate the LSU Men’s Tennis team beating Ole Miss 4-3 in their big SEC home opener with just one hook: “#JustDifferent”
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This is basically his way of saying that ‘the grass is greener on the other side of the fence’ in Baton Rouge. For Ole Miss fans, seeing their former “Portal King” cheerlead for a different purple and gold team is a pretty tough pill to swallow, especially since he left right before their biggest and first postseason ever in the history of the program.
Even though it’s “just” a tennis match, this is a huge deal because of how Kiffin left Oxford. He ditched the Rebels in November 2025 to take a massive $91 million deal with LSU. Since then, it’s been a non-stop rivalry. Not only did he take the job, but he also took some of their best players through the transfer portal and a good number of assistant coaches, too.
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And as for the LSU Tennis team itself, they didn’t fail to put on a show at the LSU Tigers Complex. No. 7 Tigers ground out a gritty 4–3 win over the Red and Blue. LSU was all about handling business from the get-go. They snagged the doubles point and raced to a 3–0 lead at one point in the match. But boy, Ole Miss didn’t come all the way to Baton Rouge just to go out like that. The Mississippi’s favorite team clawed their way back to a tie. In the end, it all came down to Sasa Markovic on court six.
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The Serbian native stood on his ten-toes in a high-pressure third set. It was only a matter of minutes before clinching the final point to keep the home crowd happy. While the guys celebrated in Baton Rouge, the No. 4 women’s team had a tougher time on the road, falling 5–2 to the Rebels. Not the result they wanted. But that doesn’t change how they feel about freshman Addison Lanton.
Regardless, this ‘tennis tweet’ is just a tiny preview of the chaos coming this fall. The real harm’s way will happen in September 2026 when Kiffin has to actually walk back into Ole Miss’s stadium as the head coach of the Tigers. If he’s this petty over a 4-3 tennis score, you can bet the football matchup is going to be absolutely wild.
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LSU Tigers vs Ole Miss Rebels 2026: Preview and Expectations
The next football meeting between the LSU Tigers and the Ole Miss Rebels is scheduled for the 19th of September. Many analysts are calling and hailing this as one of the most anticipated games in college football history due to the return of Lane Kiffin to Oxford for the first time at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium as a rival coach. The schedule makers know how to cook, as this game will be the SEC opener for both teams.
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The last time the Tigers went to Vaught-Hemingway, Lane Kiffin’s defense had them upside down in the second half and ended the game with a 24–19 dub over the former No. 4 ranked team. Former D2 QB Trinidad Chambliss was the standout, throwing for 314 yards and a touchdown in just his second or third Division I football start. This is going to be one heck of a hostile environment, as Lane left his former team on contentious terms, reportedly being booed by fans at the airport as he departed for Baton Rouge.
Both teams are expected to be high-level contenders. LSU is currently in its first spring practice session, integrating over 60 new players from his top-ranked transfer and signing classes. With Trinidad Chambliss and Kevon Lacey back, Ole Miss looks to maintain the momentum from its 2025 playoff form. Only time shall tell whether it was Lane Kiffin or just the portal players who made the playoff jump last season.