LSU-Ole Miss Magnolia Bowl opens the core of the SEC schedule

Have you ever been to a really good steakhouse? You know, the kind with leather seats, dim lighting, and a faint hint of cigar smoke from decades past? At the best steakhouses, you'll be treated like royalty at every stage of the meal, from the pouring of the wine to the warm bread covered with a napkin to the bisque soup and the wedge of iceberg that you'll convince yourself counts as a salad. It's all lovely, but you're not here for soup and leaves. They're here for the meat.

Friends, we have now reached the core of the SEC schedule. This, right now, is like that moment in the steakhouse experience – vegetarians, be patient, but you also know the feeling – when your waiter approaches you with your perfectly prepared entree. You can smell the scent, you can hear the sizzle of the butter, you can feel the heat of the plate. It's almost time to start carving.

The conference heavyweights are now going at each other in full force, and virtually every single week from here on out has big implications for the conference title and playoffs… starting Saturday night at the Bayou.

The latest edition of the Magnolia Bowl pits No. 9 Ole Miss (5-1, 1-1 in conference) against LSU (4-1, 1-0) with huge stakes at stake for both schools. If this isn't an elimination game for Ole Miss – which already has a loss to Kentucky on its record – it will be enough until another one is added. For LSU, this game gives the Tigers a chance to get into the conference title conversation. It's not exactly a playoff play-in game, but it's within sight of one.

Both teams bring top-notch quarterbacks into the game, and that's critical to LSU head coach Brian Kelly. “If we've seen anything in the past week, it's the quarterback driving this,” Kelly told Paul Finebaum earlier this week, “whether it's at Miami or at Vanderbilt or at any of the programs that are having success right now. “The quarterback is essential to moving these programs forward.”

He knows firsthand what Mississippi native Jaxson Dart can do; Last year, Dart threw for 389 yards and four touchdowns in a 55-49 win over the Tigers in Oxford. And the guy who called signals for LSU that day now works in Washington on Sundays. But Garrett Nussmeier, Jayden Daniels' successor, is doing his job quite well, leading the SEC in attempts, completions and touchdowns this season.

“Like all LSU teams, regardless of who the head coach is, they are extremely talented,” Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin said earlier this week. “Really explosive on offense. I think Nussmeier is really talented, really good. He has a good publication.”

Like all long-standing SEC rivalries – these two teams have played 112 times – the matchup between Ole Miss and LSU is riddled with drama, from mysterious game clock malfunctions to season-ruining upsets. Ole Miss enters this year's version with a reputation for suffering sudden, catastrophic injuries at the exact moment an injury timeout would benefit Ole Miss. (“The timing of some injuries – that looks really bad for the college.” And that's not what this game is about, if what it looks like is true,” South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer said last week after the players of Ole Miss had fallen like dominoes at key turning points in their game.)

Kelly sidestepped the question of feigned violations in a way that placed oversight responsibility squarely in the hands of the SEC. “There is a policy implemented by the commissioner regarding sportsmanship,” he said earlier this week, “and if any intentional action involved feigning injuries, the SEC would take appropriate action.” I can leave that to the SEC and them have it evaluated.”

Kiffin, meanwhile, is heading into one of the most important games of his four-plus years at Ole Miss. His offensive distinctions and portal wizardry are undeniable; His ability to win The Big One on the road remains a mystery. A victory in Death Valley wouldn't necessarily represent a major step toward the playoffs – Ole Miss still has No. 18 Oklahoma and No. 5 Georgia ahead of it – but it would help establish the Rebels as a legitimate threat and that Texas/Georgia/Alabama trifecta atop the SEC.

For Ole Miss, a win over LSU would also go a long way toward offsetting the ugly loss to Kentucky. “In defeats, in games or in life, you learn a lot about yourself or your team,” Kiffin said. “It can be very formative. (Losses) can (work) in both directions. They don't always work. They can spiral.”

Just like grilling a good piece of meat, there is now no way for a team to hide its weaknesses. Your skill is your game, and the heat will expose your mistakes. And at night it doesn't get any hotter than Death Valley.