LSU responded to a tough loss at Georgia with wins over Mississippi State and Florida. Ole Miss, meanwhile, is struggling (understandably) through a difficult portion of its schedule -- the Rebels have lost three in a row, including a defeat at Alabama and a heartbreaking loss at home to Texas A&M last weekend.
How to watch LSU vs. Ole Miss 2013: Preview, TV schedule, odds and more
Here is everything you need in order to catch the game between LSU and Ole Miss on Saturday.
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The losing streak cost the Rebels the early-season momentum they’d built on the way to a 3-0 start, and it doesn’t get any easier with LSU coming to town, but that’s life in the SEC sometimes. Ole Miss is going to have to find a way to slow down an LSU offense that has been certifiably deadly this season. Unfortunately for the Rebels, their defense hasn’t been very good of late.
The numbers
Rankings and records: LSU is 6-1 (3-1), ranked No. 6 in the AP Poll and No. 8 in the Coaches’ Poll. Unranked Ole Miss comes into this game at 3-3 (1-3). LSU owns a 56-36-4 all-time record against the Rebels.
Vegas: LSU opened as an 8-point favorite.
Weather: A high of 66 is expected in Oxford, and there is no chance of rain.
Three names to know
Zach Mettenberger -- Mettenberger is in the midst of an incredible senior season -- he leads all SEC quarterbacks in passer rating and yards per attempt, and he’s thrown 15 touchdown passes against just two interceptions. He threw 12 touchdown passes all of last season and here he is on pace to more than double that total.
Bo Wallace -- The Ole Miss starter has for the most part avoided mistakes throwing the ball -- he has three interceptions in 202 attempts -- and that will be a key for the Rebels in this one.
Odell Beckham Jr. -- Beckham is second in the SEC win 733 receiving yards and third in the league with 37 receptions. Beckham and Jarvis Landry make up one of the top receiving tandems in the country, and they get the vast majority of looks from Mettenberger. The pair have accounted for 83 receptions between them.
Two things at stake
The Tigers may have a loss in league play, but they still control their own destiny with games against Alabama and Texas A&M to come. That goes out the window with a loss to Ole Miss, and they'd also have an improbable climb ahead of them to win the division since Alabama is undefeated in league play. LSU is already bowl eligible, so that's a non-issue -- this is all about positioning both within the SEC and the soon-to-be-released BCS standings.
Ole Miss could really use a confidence-boosting victory to put an end to its losing streak, but if it doesn’t come this week, there is relief on the horizon. The Rebels are effectively out of the division race, but they’re still playing for bowl eligibility and bowl positioning, and a victory over the Tigers would help in both cases.
How to witness
TV: ESPN2, 7 p.m. ET (Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen, Maria Taylor)
Further reading
For complete coverage of this game, check out LSU blog And The Valley Shook, as well as Ole Miss blog Red Cup Rebellion.
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