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LSU's starting quarterback Sam Leavitt has been listed as doubtful for Saturday night's momentous rivalry game at Ole Miss in a huge blow for Lane Kiffin's team.
That is, if you believe the report... which, it appears, many among the coaching staff at Ole Miss do not.
The news was first released late on Wednesday night, when LSU shared an injury report and fans were surprised to see Leavitt on it, despite him leading the team to a 45-14 win over LA Tech on Saturday, and showing no obvious signs of injury.
Furthermore, Kiffin had held media availability on Monday and failed to mention any kind of injury issue for his star quarterback.
That, perhaps understandably, has led to many claiming that the report could just be mind games from Kiffin, and an attempt to force his old team to partake in some extra prep work on the off-chance they have to face back-up QB Husan Longstreet.
Per ESPN, the SEC's availability report policy defines the 'doubtful' designation as a player having a '25% chance to play', and more specifically: 'Unlikely to play due to significant concerns'.
Sam Leavitt has been listed as 'doubtful' on LSU's injury report ahead of the trip to Ole Miss
It is set to be a big night for Lane Kiffin who returns to his old stomping ground for the first time
A report from ESPN's college football insider Pete Thamel, though, said: 'No one on the Ole Miss staff is convinced LSU QB Sam Leavitt's appearance as "doubtful" on the injury report is sincere and he'll miss the game on Saturday.'
If Kiffin and LSU are determined to have deliberately misled with their injury designation for Leavitt, there could be a fine of between $25,000 and $100,000, with commissioner Greg Sankey having the final say on punishments.
The SEC also has a policy in place that prohibits gamesmanship 'intended to hide a student-athlete's true participation status for competitive or strategic reasons'.
LSU is the No 7 team in the nation with Ole Miss currently No 8 in the AP poll, meaning the game is likely to be season-defining for both programs.
There has been plenty of attention on Saturday night's blockbuster game, as former Ole Miss head coach Kiffin returns to Oxford for the first time since ditching the program to sign a $91 million contract with LSU.
In a bitter split, he claimed devastated fans had tried to 'run him off the road' when he headed to the airport to fly to Baton Rouge, something which the police later denied.
Kiffin has previously opened up about 'safety concerns' ahead of his return to Oxford, MS
This week, the subject of safety again came up in Kiffin's press conference, and the coach admitted: 'I guess there's real safety issues and stuff. So, there's people that have a plan for that. It is what it is.
'But I told the players today, man, like, "You don't have anything to worry about as far as, like, attention on you all week. There's just going to be so much attention, hatred - everything - on me."'
'Really, the pressure is on them,' Kiffin continued, alluding to Ole Miss' appearance in last year's national semifinals, and the fact that quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy, both viewed as 2026 Heisman Trophy candidates, are back with the Rebels.
'We won seven games last year; they won 13,' Kiffin said. 'They return two Heisman candidates. How often does that ever happen in the same backfield?'
Kiffin helped to develop both Chambliss and Lacy during his five years in Oxford and hopes that, instead of spewing vitriol at him, Mississippi fans would reflect more on how much better off their program was when he left than when he arrived.
Similarly, Kiffin mentioned that he was the one who sought out and hired his Ole Miss successor, Pete Golding, as defensive coordinator in 2023.
Leavitt did not appear at all injured when he starred for LSU in Saturday's win over LA Tech
'There's not always a winner and a loser,' Kiffin said while referring to his decision to leave for LSU last November, when the Rebels were about to enter the College Football Playoff.
Kiffin pointed out that Saturday's Magnolia Bowl between LSU and Ole Miss will be the first since 1962 to take place when both teams were ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll.
'That says to me it's the most relevant matchup of these two teams in 64 years,' Kiffin continued. 'So, I think that's a really neat thing that we were able to be part of building a program (in Mississippi) that Pete's doing a great job of continuing it as a top-10 program.
'When we got there, they had won four games (in 2019). And when we got here eight months ago, (the Tigers) were 7-6,' Kiffin said. 'So, I think it's a really good thing that I think a lot of people could look at it and say, "Hey, both sides are doing really well, and both sides won."'
