The Manning Passing Academy has always been a gathering place for some of college football’s best QBs, but this year’s event felt different. Lane Kiffin’s first season at LSU has already become one of the hottest topics in the SEC, and nearly every QB who will face the Tigers this fall had something to say about it. No one, however, understands the emotions better than Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss.

Ole Miss’s Week 3 showdown against Lane Kiffin is a reunion with the coach who gave him his biggest opportunity. But don’t expect Trinidad Chambliss to let emotions take over when LSU rolls into Oxford on Sept. 19.

“Just make it a regular game,” he told 247Sports. “I can’t let it get too big. I can’t make it be the Super Bowl or a playoff game. It’s a regular-season game.” 

But maybe that’s easier said than done. Lane Kiffin leaving Ole Miss for LSU instantly turned the Magnolia Bowl into one of the SEC’s biggest attractions. It is not new for Kiffin to walk into a game carrying old ties, but this one adds an extra layer because it also sits inside a rivalry that goes back to 1894.

Former Rebels OC Charlie Weis Jr., Pete Golding facing his old boss, and several former Rebels now wearing purple and gold. Suddenly, this rivalry carries far more than bragging rights. If both teams take care of business early, the matchup could even have CFP implications. Trinidad Chambliss knows what’s waiting.

“I think it’s going to be like a chess match throughout that whole game,” he said.

That was an honest assessment from someone who knows how Lane Kiffin thinks. The Ole Miss QB explained that the familiarity between both staffs means every possession becomes critical, every adjustment will have a counter, and every tendency could be exposed. Then there’s the atmosphere at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

“I’ve heard they might need the SWAT, which would be crazy, but Oxford’s going to be electric,” he said. “It’s going to be insane. It’s going to be a lot more people than it ever has been in Oxford. It’ll probably break the attendance record.”

Despite everything surrounding the matchup, Trinidad Chambliss hasn’t forgotten where his SEC opportunity began.

“Super grateful for Coach Weis and the staff that was at Ole Miss and now is at LSU,” he said. “Kiff gave me an opportunity, gave me a shot, but yeah, I’m just super excited to kind of go against them.”

He even admitted he’ll give Weis “a big hug” before kickoff. Friendships, however, end once the ball is snapped. And if Trinidad Chambliss views LSU as a strategic battle, Kentucky QB Kenny Minchey sees it as another opportunity to prove he belongs. The former Notre Dame transfer, now leading the Wildcats under first-year coach Will Stein, isn’t backing away from LSU’s reputation.

“I definitely don’t want to run from any sort of competition,” he said. “I think I’m the best, so it’ll be fun to go play against other teams who have some other guys across the ball who are pretty good at what they do, so it’s really exciting.” 

Kentucky hosts LSU on Oct. 10, aiming to snap a streak that has been dominated by the Tigers. LSU owns a commanding 39-16-1 advantage in the all-time series, but Kenny Minchey’s confidence shows the Wildcats won’t enter Kroger Field intimidated. Meanwhile, the Mississippi State QB may be even more motivated. 

Growing up in nearby Macon, Mississippi, LSU was one of Kamario Taylor’s favorite programs. The Tigers, however, never recruited him as a QB, believing another position suited him better. That memory hasn’t disappeared.

“I’m looking for the hospitality not to be so good towards us,” he said. “So I’m trying to go ruin whatever night they’re going to have because Death Valley is a place that a lot of QBs don’t want to go, but I’m looking forward to it because LSU was one of my favorite teams growing up.”

Taylor also revealed another layer to the story. Lane Kiffin recruited him while coaching Ole Miss but never extended an offer, giving him even more motivation before Mississippi State visits Baton Rouge on Oct. 17. Still, pressure doesn’t bother him.

“I always looked at pressure like a privilege,” Taylor said. “If you have pressure on you, that means you’re doing something the right way.”

And then there’s perhaps LSU’s biggest QB test of the season.

Arch Manning opens up on facing Lane Kiffin’s LSU

Texas star Arch Manning grew up attending games in Baton Rouge, making the Nov. 14 showdown especially meaningful

“It’s going to be really cool,” he said. “Obviously grew up going to games there every year. It’s a great crowd, and we’re excited for the challenge.”

CBS Sports already believes Texas-LSU could become one of the loudest environments in college football this season, especially if both teams enter November in playoff contention. 

“The wealthiest rosters in the country meet in mid-November for what could be a season-defining contest for both coaching staffs,” it wrote. “Tiger Stadium will be extremely loud the previous weekend against Alabama, and somehow, it may surpass that on the intensity scale should LSU beat the Crimson Tide and Texas enters inside the top 5.”

Whether it’s Trinidad Chambliss preparing for a “chess match,” Kenny Minchey embracing the challenge, Kamario Taylor chasing redemption, or Arch Manning returning to a stadium he grew up visiting, nobody is underestimating what awaits them against Lane Kiffin’s LSU. The Tigers haven’t played a game under Kiffin yet. But judging by the QBs who’ll have to face them, they’ve already become one of the SEC’s biggest measuring sticks.