Lane Kiffin returns to Ole Miss: Latest updates on LSU coach's day in Oxford - USA Today

Yeah it's too much. Yeah it's dramatic. But if you care about college football, you're at least curious by proxy how Ole Miss will receive Lane Kiffin on Sept. 19.

Kiffin, who controversially left a playoff-bound Ole Miss for the LSU Tigers at the end of last season, returns Saturday for a Week 3 showdown between the Rebels and Tigers. It's two teams with playoff aspirations, one an incumbent playoff team that made the semifinals with wins over Tulane and Georgia last year, the other a team looking for an immediate bounce back under its new coach after going 7-6 last season with a loss to Houston in the Texas Bowl.

With "College GameDay" on hand in the Grove and an environment that will be nothing but hostile to Kiffin, it will be interesting to see how he reacts. Will he lean into it and play the heel? Or will he continue to try to downplay his part in the vitriol that will inevitably be spewed his way?

Kiffin, of course, is no stranger to stepping into fires out of frying pans. Indeed, his return to Rocky Top 11 years after fleeing the Vols for USC sparked golf balls and mustard bottles being thrown in his direction as the Rebels' coach, visibly flustering Kiffin and forcing some people off the field with time still left on the clock.

Now, the wound is a lot more fresh. And the lover-turned-partner-turned-jilted lover again is on the other side. There's expected to be an intense police presence on hand in Oxford. But it's highly unlikely that's going to dissuade the drama entirely.

USA TODAY is following Kiffin's return to the Grove throughout the day, as Ole Miss looks for revenge against its former coach and Kiffin tries to spoil his own surprise party.

And we are underway in Oxford, Mississippi! For live updates, highlights and scores from Lane Kiffin's reunion, follow along here.

Ole Miss fans are breaking out "(expletive) Lane Kiffin!" chants. Chances are that particular chant might be heard ad nauseum on Sept. 19.

LSU clearly is taking the security of its coach seriously, as he enters the field accompanied by four police officers.

Lane Kiffin enters Vaught-Hemingway stadium.

Our experts are split on who wins the Kiffin grudge match. Craig Meyer and John Leuzzi like LSU to break up the hate party in Oxford, whereas Austin Curtright, Jordan Mendoza, and Adam Bittner like Ole Miss to exact some revenge upon its former coach. Here's a full look at picks for the week.

Ole Miss fans, stop if you've heard this one before.

Sam Leavitt was listed as doubtful for LSU's initial injury report to the SEC, before being upgraded to probable the next day. He's now off the injury report, and expected to start vs the Rebels. According to Kiffin: "He's doing great and he's ready to go."

How did the "College GameDay" crew pick tonight's LSU vs. Ole Miss game? One team is clearly more favored among the panelists comprising Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee and Morgan Freeman — but it's not unanimous.

It wasn't just Kiffin leaving Ole Miss. It was how it happened.

Kiffin had a protracted courtship with LSU before ultimately leaving ahead of an Ole Miss playoff run. See the crazy timeline that led Kiffin to Baton Rouge.

One of the interesting aspects of this game: Both sides believe they're the victim.

Ole Miss thinks it was betrayed by Kiffin. Kiffin thinks he should have been able to coach in the playoffs. Motivated Kiffin might spell some trouble, Matt Hayes writes.

With Morgan Freeman on the dais, the "College GameDay" crew made its picks for Ole Miss LSU. With Nick Saban as the lone holdout, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, and Freeman all like Ole Miss to win at home in its revenge game.

Kiffin became a hero in Oxford after becoming reviled in Knoxville. It seemed like a match made in heaven. So what happend?

Image rehab at FAU led Kiffin back to the SEC. But the siren song of Baton Rouge was just a bit too loud for Kiffin. Read more about how he ended up at LSU here.

The whole atmosphere in the Grove just shifted. Kiffin appears on video for a live interview on "College GameDay" to LOUD boos and "[expletive] Lane Kiffin chants." A lot of his interview can barely be heard over the boos and chants.

"It's not about me," Kiffin said. "Both teams have great players, great coaches. A lot of respect for their programs. So it's about the players performing really well tonight in a really awesome matchup between two top-10 teams. National game of the week. So both programs should be really excited."

Kiffin talked over the din, but chants of different expletives continued to roll over him trying to talk football. Quite a preview for what tonight could look like.

Less than five minutes into "College GameDay," the Grove made its presence known. Loud "[expletive] Lane Kiffin" chants to kick things off in Oxford, to the surprise of absolutely known.

Ole Miss coach and its interim head coach last season after Kiffin left Pete Golding joined the "College GameDay" panel. He talked a lot about his team and where it's at, and singled out Keaton Thomas as a leader on the defense. Lots of Xs and Os talk from the Rebels coach, including Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy (read more on them here). "It's fine to have emotion..." Golding said of the pitched emotions in this game. "...I worry a little bit about the pregame. Like don't play the game too early, like no one be the loudest guy in the bar that ain't it. Let's focus and let's do our job, so we'll see. I think some of these guys have been in these moments, they'll be OK. And I just don't want them to have to press."

Pretty great segment from the Ole Miss coach on how to keep this game grounded.

"College GameDay" is underway in Oxford, with Apache helicopters overhead. It's a raucous atmosphere in the Grove, and a serious litmus test for both LSU and Ole Miss.

How did we get here? Kiffin and Ole Miss seemed like a match made in heaven this time last year. Trinidad Chambliss had burst onto the scene with 353 passing yards vs Arkansas, the Rebels looked like a team finally ready to make a postseason appearance, and Kiffin was proving it was possible to not just want to win in Oxford — it was possible to expect to.

However, after Brian Kelly was fired, the rumor mill started churning. Slowly at first, but as the season drove on, Kiffin's name was whispered louder and louder before things truly snowballed out of control. Read about the craziest moments in his tryst with LSU here.