Trinidad Chambliss in Heisman Spotlight as Ole Miss Hosts LSU on Saturday

Without question, the most-hyped college football game on the schedule this week -- if not perhaps most hyped the entire season -- is No. 7 LSU at No. 8 Ole Miss on Saturday with a 7:30 p.m. ET kick on ABC. All the talk will of course be about Lane Kiffin's return to Oxford, but with that glaring-hot national spotlight, Rebels QB Trinidad Chambliss could make a major Heisman Trophy statement, as he's currently priced as a +1300 fifth-favorite via DraftKings .  Bet on college football at DraftKings, where new users get $200 when they spend $5+:

Even better, it's the first meeting with both schools ranked in the AP Top 10 since 1962. Home teams have won in four straight regular season Top-10 meetings in the FBS overall and are 30-12 (.714) in these matchups since 2020.

At -3, LSU is taking 95% of handle and 71% of early-week action, with similar numbers on Tigers at -155. On the total of 58.5, there are heavy leans to the Over. It will be scorching hot in Oxford on Saturday afternoon but looks good at night: A few clouds from time to time. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.

You can try  college football betting  on the  best sports betting apps , but first you should check out the  SportsLine Projection Model  for picks on games from both the simulations and our  experts . We have a strong play here for those who want to get into  parlay betting  for LSU vs. Ole Miss.

LSU-Ole Miss same-game parlay

- Rebels alt +4.5 - Alt Under 65.5

DrafKings price: +129 (subject to change)

Say what you want about Kiffin, and many have, but the guy can coach and has an eye for talent. He went 55-19 in six seasons at Ole Miss before leaving -- and taking many assistants -- before last season's College Football Playoff. Those 55 wins are the third-most in school history, and Kiffin's winning percentage of .743 was second-best (minimum 10 games).

His leaving marked only the sixth instance of a head coach bolting an AP Top 10 team for another FBS school before the end of a season in history. The last had been Mario Cristobal from Oregon to Miami in 2021. Kiffin became the 10th head coach to leave one SEC school for another, and he's the first to face a team he previously led to the CFP.

Only Nick Saban (with Alabama vs. LSU) and Chip Kelly (with UCLA vs Oregon) faced a team they had previously led to the BCS National Championship Game, and Saban (2007) and Kelly (2018) lost their respective first meetings against their ex-schools.

Three LSU starters came with Kiffin from Oxford: receiver Winston Watkins (12 catches, 153 yards, one TD this season), pass rusher Princewill Umanmielen (five sacks) and linebacker TJ Dottery (14 tackles, two forced fumbles).

I wonder how the crowd treats them. Kiffin has his own Heisman candidate at quarterback in Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt (+2500). He threw for a career-high 344 yards this past Saturday against Louisiana Tech and already has rushed for five scores on the year. LSU is 8-1 in its past nine AP Top-10 matchups overall but is 1-6 in its past seven road games in any scenario.

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One of Kiffin's top transfer recruits at Ole Miss was Chambliss from Division II Ferris State. Chambliss finished eighth in the 2025 Heisman voting in what was to be his senior and final season, but things don't work out that way these days. Chambliss was granted an extra year of eligibility by a Mississippi state court judge in February.

The thing is, Chambliss had a legit physical reason, as he was unable to play his second year at Ferris State because of respiratory issues. Chambliss' career winning FBS winning percentage of .867 is second nationally among QBs with at least four starts. He has at least one TD pass in 15 straight games, the third-longest active streak in FBS.

"It's gonna be weird, but it is what it is," Chambliss said of facing Kiffin. "If you told me how my life would look right now, I guess a year ago or a couple years ago, I'd tell you you're crazy. So yeah, I didn't envision that you know I'd be you know playing at a university that is going to be hosting College Gameday that's going to have one of the biggest, you know, games in the whole entire country."

This will draw millions of viewers, so a big game could vault Chambliss into the Heisman favorite role currently held by Miami quarterback Darian Mensah (+500). There wasn't much major movement on those futures following Week 2.

The 115th Magnolia Bowl will be played at Ole Miss in back-to-back seasons for the first time in series history, and the home side has won the past six after the Rebs prevailed 24-19 last year. Chambliss threw for 334 yards, a TD and a pick and rushed for 71 yards. Ole Miss seeks consecutive wins in the series for the first time since 2008-09. LSU hasn't won in Oxford since 2019. It is on a six-game ATS losing streak against Top 25 teams.

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Ole Miss is 1-7 in its past eight AP Top-10 matchups overall. This is only the second one at home in school history, and it lost in 2014 to No. 4 Auburn . The Rebs are on a 13-game home winning streak in all games and are 5-0 ATS in their past four at home vs. ranked foes. The SportsLine Projection Model has Ole Miss winning 26-25.  Check out other expert picks in the SportsLine daily newsletter .

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/betting/news/lsu-vs-ole-miss-cfb-picks-trinidad-chambliss-can-make-first-major-heisman-statement-overshadow-lane-kiffin/)._