The city of Oxford, Mississippi, is preparing for a busy week as Ole Miss hosts LSU on Sept. 19. The event features a Thursday night concert by country singer Ella Langley at the SJB Pavilion and ESPN’s College GameDay previewing the rivalry, attracting national attention. Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford adds to the excitement, according to Visit Oxford Executive Director Kinney Ferris.
Both the concert and the football game are sold out, the Ole Miss Athletics Department confirmed. Fans will need to seek tickets through scalpers or third-party sites, where prices are high. Ticketmaster shows Langley’s concert tickets range from $262 to $1,186. Entry to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for the game starts at $600, the highest for any Ole Miss home game this season, Ferris said.
Lodging costs also skyrocket for the weekend. Airbnb listings for four people from Sept. 18-20 range from nearly $1,500 to more than $4,000 per unit. In comparison, tickets for Ole Miss’s Nov. 7 game against Georgia are priced lower, with rental costs not exceeding $3,400 for the same period.
Hotel availability in Oxford is limited, but Ferris noted that third-party booking sites may not show all options. He advised contacting hotels directly for accurate room inventories. Nearby cities like Batesville, Tupelo, Grenada, and Memphis also see higher hotel rates, accommodating visiting fans during the weekend.
The game’s outcome could have broader implications for both teams’ seasons. A victory for Ole Miss would bolster first-year head coach Pete Golding’s standing and serve as a momentum boost. For LSU, a win would reinforce Brian Kelly’s coaching resume and give bragging rights in the rivalry. Both teams are considered potential College Football Playoff contenders, with Ole Miss ranked No. 9 and LSU No. 11 in the preseason AP Top 25. If both win their early matchups, Sept. 19 could feature a top-10 showdown with national title implications.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
