What's at Stake in Magnolia Bowl Between Ole Miss, LSU? Recent History Says 'A Lot'

Saturday's game is about more than bragging rights for the Ole Miss Rebels and LSU Tigers.

Sep 30, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) passes the ball as LSU Tigers linebacker Greg Penn III (30) pursues during the first half at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

There's no way around it: Saturday is a huge day in the national college football landscape.

There are three "ranked-on-ranked" matchups this weekend, and all of those matchups feature teams in the Top 20. Two of them come from the Top 15, and one of those games is a Top 5 battle.

In those storylines, the Ole Miss Rebels are right at the heart of the fight.

The No. 9 Rebels will travel to take on the No. 13 LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge on Saturday night, and while this annual rivalry matchup always puts bragging rights on the line, there is much more at stake than that this year.

The winner of this year's Magnolia Bowl will feel pretty positively about its College Football Playoff chances as we near the middle of October while the loser will have its second loss of the season in tow, making the path to the postseason a difficult one, at best.

READ MORE: Ole Miss Reveals Classic Uniform Combo For Magnolia Bowl Rivalry Game vs. LSU

From Ole Miss' perspective, it should know by now that a game against LSU has the potential to be a pivotal turning point in any season. Just look at the last two years as prime examples.

In 2022, an undefeated No. 7 Rebels team journeyed to Baton Rouge for a day game in Tiger Stadium. Ole Miss had rattled off three straight SEC wins (including a 48-34 win over Auburn the week prior), and a win over the Tigers would solidify the Rebs as a legitimate playoff contender.

Ole Miss fell flat on its face after establishing an early lead, however, dropping the game 45-20. The Rebels would rebound with a narrow road win over Texas A&M the following week, but then four straight losses doomed the campaign, including losses in the Egg Bowl rivalry against Mississippi State and the Texas Bowl against Texas Tech.

It's possible that the narrow loss to Alabama following the Texas A&M game caused Ole Miss to spiral, but the defeat at the hands of LSU was the first sign of alarm, and the rest of the season followed suit.

Jump ahead to last year, however, and it's a completely different story. It can be easily inferred that Ole Miss' thrilling 55-49 win over LSU in Oxford spurred a run for the Rebels as they rattled off four consecutive wins after that before being trampled by Georgia in Athens. They were able to bounce back, however, and win their final three games (including the Peach Bowl) to secure the first 11-win season in program history.

What's in common for both of these seasons? The LSU game seemed to serve as a momentum shifter.

Ole Miss is entering Tiger Stadium after having taken down South Carolina on the road last week, but the Saturday prior saw the Rebels lose a home upset to the Kentucky Wildcats, a game that could come back to haunt them, if the CFP isn't reached. A win on Saturday, and Ole Miss is 6-1 entering a bye week before hosting Oklahoma. A loss, and the Rebels are 5-2 and would essentially need to run the table and hope for the best in terms of earning a playoff berth.

LSU is in a similar situation, by the way. It just has the advantage of playing this game at home. The Tigers have back-to-back road trips to Arkansas and Texas A&M before returning home to host Alabama in November. That's not an easy path, so they definitely need this one on Saturday.

There's always something at stake in rivalry games because emotions are so high, but this year's battle between Ole Miss and LSU puts more on the line than simple bragging rights. The path to the playoff (and the overall success of the season) could be at stake for both teams, and if recent history is any indication, Saturday's game will determine a lot for the Rebels and Tigers.