The full 2026 schedule for the LSU Football program was released on Thursday, and Tiger fans already have several noteworthy dates circled on their calendars. The first game of the Lane Kiffin era begins on September 5 when the Tigers host Dabo Swinney and Clemson.
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After hosting Louisiana Tech the following week on September 12, all eyes of the college football world will be focused in on the battle between LSU and Ole Miss on September 19. The rivalry matchup between the Tigers and Rebels will be Kiffin's return to Oxford since leaving Ole Miss in the midst of a National Championship run a few weeks ago.
Week 3 at Ole Miss pic.twitter.com/cc7PB744dg
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) December 12, 2025
Lane Kiffin and LSU return to Ole Miss on September 19
Kiffin heads to LSU after leading Ole Miss to its best-ever regular season, finishing the season with an 11-1 record. The Rebels are the No. 6 seed in the College Football Playoff, and are set to host the Tulane Green Wave in the first round on December 20.
The dramatic soap opera surrounding Kiffin's departure from Ole Miss dominated headlines over the last few weeks, and he ultimately chose LSU on November 30. His breakup with Ole Miss was a messy one, and the atmosphere will be intense when Kiffin leads the Tigers into Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on September 19.
The Tigers will be looking for revenge, as Ole Miss won this year's meeting by a score of 24-19 on September 27. The loss was LSU's first of the season, and started a stretch in which the Tigers lost 3 of 4 games and ultimately led to the firing of Brian Kelly following an embarrassing 49-25 loss to Texas A&M on October 25.
Interestingly enough, LSU will also pay a visit to another one of Kiffin's former schools in 2026. Kiffin will lead the Tigers into Knoxville to take on the Tennessee Volunteers on November 21. Kiffin spent one season as the Vols' head coach in 2009, then promptly left for the USC job. His return to Knoxville as Ole Miss' head coach in 2021 came with plenty of fireworks, and more are sure to be flying when Kiffin leads LSU into both Oxford and Knoxville next season.