Ole Miss enforces strict LSU ban ahead of Lane Kiffin’s ‘powder keg’ return to Oxford

Lane Kiffin's return to Oxford, Mississippi is likely to be a very hostile one.

The former Ole Miss coach abandoned the Rebels before the College Football Playoff (CFP) to accept the role as the head coach of LSU.

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The timing of his appointment was hugely controversial, signing his seven-year deal worth an estimated $12 million annually shortly after he had led the Rebels to a 38-19 victory over Mississippi State at the Egg Bowl.

But it was a move that many saw coming from a long way off.

Since his arrival in Baton Rouge, though, Kiffin has been at the center of yet more controversy, having briefly gone up against the NCAA as he fought to poach football players from the NFL and bring them back to college.

But it would be a battle he would lose, with the Big Ten Conference banning its teams from allowing the arrival of NFL talent before the Southeastern Conference (SEC) threatened legal action against Kiffin and the Tigers.

Both LSU and Ole Miss head into the marquee matchup on Saturday undefeated and ranked No. 7 and No. 8 respectively in the AP poll.

ESPN's College GameDay will also be in town in Oxford to preview the SEC showdown and Kiffin's return to Ole Miss with Mississippi native Morgan Freeman confirmed as the show's celebrity guest picker.

Fans who will be heading to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, though, have been issued a stark warning over what they can and cannot wear on game day, especially if they are ticketed in the student section.

“No person wearing an opposing team's gear or colors will be allowed entrance into the student section," a message sent from Ole Miss athletics to students said, via Tyler Komis.

"Additionally, anyone found to be wearing opposing team apparel or colors in the student section will be removed.”

Stephen A. Smith makes decision to stay home

Some, including ESPN superstar talent Stephen A. Smith, have opted to watch the game from home on TV as opposed to being in attendance, taking the expected hostile environment into account.

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This comes after the reports that there will be a plethora of additional security measures put in place.

“I was supposed to be going down there,” Smith said Thursday afternoon on his Mad Dog Sports Radio show for SiriusXM. “You know what? That’s what TVs are for. I ain’t going.

"They’re talking about heightened security, they’re talking about people having to wear bulletproof vests, they’re talking about the venom and hostility that’s gonna be aimed in his direction.

"They’re talking about some wild stuff that’s gonna go down there at Ole Miss this weekend.

“I want to state for the record, let’s be safe y’all," he continued. "Let’s not engage in any kind of violence… Let’s make sure ladies and gentlemen that we’re all legit and aligned with that level of thinking.

"You can spew venom in Lane Kiffin’s direction and that of the players who represent him, you can boo the hell out of them. You can heckle them to death. Just don’t do nothing violent.”

When asked if Kiffin's return could create a "powder keg" environment, Smith added: "That's why I'm not going.

“I am not trying to find myself in that mayhem. It would be one thing if I was going down with my buddies at College GameDay. But I would be going down there on my own… and I’m not taking that chance.”

Safety first.

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