Mississippi State vs. Ole Miss

Since Ole Miss handed Alabama a 43-37 loss on September 19, the Rebels would advance on a head-to-head tiebreaker. But there’s also no excuse for it. The Clarion-Ledger certainly apologizes with deepest regret for what occurred, and all I can tell you in my position as sports editor is that we’ll do everything we can to never let it happen again.

“He’s not as far along as what I’d like for him to be”, Briles said Wednesday. A matchup against the Wisconsin Badgers would provide plenty of intrigue, as the two teams open the season against each other next year at Lambeau Field. But has Miles worn his welcome out?

The win was a confidence-builder for a defense that struggled in its loss to Arkansas. Mind you, most of the players were left over from Saban, so Miles just had to put the icing on the cake.

The biggest problem Miles now has is losing Louisiana recruits to rival schools. Mississippi State and then first-year coach Dan Mullen welcomed the Rebels to Starkville, and won 41-27 to kick off all sorts of TSUN-related shenanigans ever since. Given what’s happening with Ole Miss’ recruiting _ three of the nation’s top three prospects were in Oxford Saturday _ the momentum for Freeze’s program would be palpable.

During a time where the game changes and evolves nearly daily, Miles has stayed true to his roots.

For the second week in a row, Miles criticized the attack of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, who is in the final year of a three-year contract.

It was another rough day for the Tigers, who were undefeated and in national title contention just three weeks ago. The Mississippi State defense is allowing 21.5 points and 380.2 yards per game with 11 interceptions, one fumble recovery, and 25 sacks.

“We have to bounce back and get a win”, LSU defensive tackle Davon Godchaux said. The Tigers lined up, snapped the ball and Harris pitched the ball to an oblivious Leonard Fournette. There will be a trip to a bowl game after the game against Texas A&M, but it will not excite the fan base at all.

LSU added a field goal on its first drive of the third quarter and then got a huge break when Ole Miss’ Jaylen Walton fumbled on the ensuing kickoff return.

Formerly the Gator Bowl, the TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla.is one of the most popular bowl projection picks for the Tigers following their late-season meltdown. A showdown with the Miami Hurricanes would provide plenty of storylines, especially if it becomes apparent that Les Miles is on his way out the door at LSU.

Should be an interesting next couple of weeks for LSU football.

“It’s a hard way to go out, but we have no one to blame but ourselves”, said Head Coach Eddie Radwanski. That said, the over is 6-2-1 in LSU’s nine games. The substantial buyout will cost less than keeping Miles.