It's a good thing that the nation's No.1 prospect, Robert Nkemdiche, isn't playing for Ole Miss this season, right?

Ole Miss, which is believed to be the favorite to land Nkemdiche's services next season, has struggled this year with a 2-4 mark in SEC play.

LSU will host Ole Miss on Saturday afternoon in what should be a one-sided football game, but as we know, anything can happen in the SEC.

The Tigers will put their No. 7 ranking on the line as they try to earn another win and inch closer to a BCS berth. But does Ole Miss have what it takes to pull off the upset?

Let's find out.

Game Information

Who: LSU vs. Ole Miss 

When: Saturday, Nov.17, at 3:30 p.m. (EDT)

Where: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, La.

TV: CBS

Radio: 98.1 FM, WDGL (LSU)

Depth Chart for LSU

Offense

QB: 8 Zach Mettenberger

       17 Steven Rivers

RB: 33 Jeremy Hill

       42 Michael Ford

       11 Spencer Ware

       27 Kenny Hilliard

FB: 44 J.C. Copeland

       43 Connor Neighbors

X: 86 Kadron Boone

    82 James Wright

Z: 3 Odell Beckham Jr.

    10 Russell Shepard

Y: 80 Jarvis Landry

LT: 68 Alex Hurst

RT: 72 Vadal Alexander

LG: 70 La'el Collins

RG: 74 Trai Turner

C: 64 P.J. Lonergan

Defense

LE: 49 Barkevious Mingo

LT: 77 Josh Downs

RT: 18 Bennie Logan

       90 Anthony Johnson

RE: 99 Sam Montgomery

LB: 52 Luke Muncie

LB: 46 Kevin Minter

LB: 57 Lamin Barrow

CB: 32 Jalen Collins or 28 Jalen Mills

CB: 24 Tharold Simon

FS: 1 Eric Reid

SS: 6 Craig Loston

Depth Chart for Ole Miss

Offense

Quarterback: Bo Wallace, Barry Brunetti

Running Back: Randall Mackey, Jeff Scott 

Wide Receiver: Donte Moncrief, Terrell Grant

Wide Receiver: Vince Sanders, Ja-Mes Logan

Wide Receiver: Ja-Mes Logan, Philander Moore

Left Tackle: Emmanuel McCray, Derrick Wilson

Left Guard: Aaron Morris, Justin Bell

Center: Evan Swindall, Ben Still

Right Guard: A.J. Hawkins, Jared Duke

Right Tackle: Pierce Burton, Patrick Junen

Tight End: Ferbia Allen, Jamal Mosley

Defense

Defensive End: C.J. Johnson, Jason Jones

Defensive Tackle: Bryon Bennett, Carlton Martin

Nose Tackle: Issac Gross, Gilbert Pena

Defensive End: Cameron Whigham, E.J. Epperson

Mike: Mike Marry, Joel Kight

Stinger: Denzel Nkemdiche, Aaron Garbutt

Huskie: Dehendret Collins, Mike Hilton

FCB: Senquez Golson, Anthony Standifer

Rover: Trae Elston, Frank Crawford

Free Safety: Cody Prewitt, Chief Brown

BCB: Charles Sawyer, Wesley Pendleton

Special Teams

Punter: Jim Broadway, Tyler Campbell

Place-Kicker: Bryson Rose, Nathan Noble

Punt Returner: Philander Moore, Jeff Scott

Kick Returner: Jaylen Walton/Randall Mackey, Senquez Golson/Jeff Scott

What Happened to the Tigers Last Week?

Zach Mettenberger had his second back-to-back outstanding game as LSU took care of business in a 37-17 victory over Mississippi State. Mettenberger threw for 273 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

The Tigers' defense was outstanding, highlighted by a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown by safety Craig Loston. That put the Tigers up by 20 points with less than two minutes to go and essentially sealed the game.

LSU's defense didn't allow Misssippi State to score in the final 27:52. LSU's defensive ends Sam Montgomery and Barkevious Mingo were each dominant in the second half.

With the win, LSU improved to 4-2 in the SEC, 8-2 overall.

What Happened to Ole Miss Last Weekend?

Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace had the game of a lifetime, but it wasn't quite enough as Ole Miss dropped a heartbreaker to Vanderbilt by the score of 27-26.

Wallace completed 31 of 49 passes for 403 yards and a touchdown in the loss.

The issue was the defense, which couldn't stop quarterback Jordan Rodgers and the Vanderbilt offense on the final drive. Chris Boyd hauled in a 26-yard touchdown pass with less than a minute remaining to seal the victory for the Commodores.

Ole Miss dropped to 2-4 in the SEC, 5-5 overall.

What It Means to Both Teams

This is a big game for both teams, but for completely different reasons.

At this point in the season, with two regular-season games remaining, LSU's goal is to make it to a BCS bowl game. The Tigers need to win to keep those hopes alive.

For Ole Miss, the goal is to make a bowl game, and the Rebels need one more win to be bowl-eligable.

A win against LSU this week or Mississippi State next weekend would do the trick.

Both teams need a win, but if you're a betting man, it's hard not to go with LSU in this matchup.

Key Player for LSU

Jeremy Hill has established himself as the top back in the LSU backfield, but the freshman tailback had a down game last week and will be looking to bounce back Saturday against Ole Miss.

After rushing for 100-plus yards in each of his last three games, Hill managed just 48 yards on 15 carries against Mississippi State. Because of that, the Tigers struggled in the running game, rushing for less than 120 yards for just the second time this season.

If the Tigers are going to take down Ole Miss at home this weekend, they are going to need better production out of that talented backfield.

That starts with Hill.

Key Player for Ole Miss

Ole Miss sophomore quarterback Bo Wallace is the engine that makes this Rebels' offense go.

Wallace has enjoyed a solid season, already passing for more than 2,200 yards and 12 touchdowns.

When Wallace plays well, this team competes.

Ole Miss is just 5-5, but 3-2 when Wallace throws for more than 225 yards, including wins against Auburn and Arkansas.

If he plays well, this game should come down to the fourth quarter.

LSU Will Win If...

The LSU Tigers will win this football game if they do two things.

First, they need to find balance on offense. When LSU establishes the run and mixes in the pass, this team wins football games. It really is that simple.

Jeremy Hill has established himself as the top back and Zach Mettenberger has played great football over the past two weeks. If LSU can get those two guys clicking at the same time, this could be an explosive LSU offense.

Second, LSU needs to contain Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace. The Rebels are going to pass, make no mistake about it.

But LSU needs to get pressure on Wallace and let defensive ends,Barkevious Mingo and Sam Montgomery get after the quarterback.

If LSU can mix it up on offense and contain Wallace on defense, you have to like the Tigers' chances in this one.

Ole Miss Will Win If...

Ole Miss will win if it plays a near-flawless game on both sides of the football.

Beating LSU in Baton Rouge is never an easy task, especially for a team that is fighting for a bowl berth with two games remaining in the regular season.

In order to win, Bo Wallace is going to have to have a huge passing day and the Rebels are going to have to find some success in the running game.

On defense, Ole Miss will have to shut down LSU's rushing attack and find a way to stop Zach Mettenberger's recent hot streak.

That's not an easy task for a team that hasn't won in Baton Rouge since the Jevan Snead era.

Prediction

LSU needs this game in order to stay alive in the BCS hunt. With that much on the line and playing in front of a home crowd, it would be awfully hard to bet against the Tigers in this one.

Zach Mettenberger has been on fire lately. Another good passing day from him should assure this team a victory.

Bo Wallace and Ole Miss will be playing for a bowl berth, and this would be the type of upset that this team has been looking for all season. But LSU is too solid on defense to let it happen.

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Les Miles and the Tigers win in a blowout.

Make it: LSU 38, Ole Miss 7.