Heather Dinich tabs Ole Miss-LSU as Week 7 game with most College Football Playoff impact

The Week 7 college football slate has no shortage of premiere matchups — games that will hold immense sway in shaping the eventual inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff field. But one, in particular, is standing out to ESPN’s Heather Dinich.

Ole Miss traveling to visit LSU in Death Valley has drawn her interest, as both teams enter already with a loss, and a conference loss at that. Joining SportsCenter on Tuesday evening, Dinich explained why that game, specifically, stands out to her.

“Ole Miss at LSU because they both have one loss,” Dinich said. “Now, people need to realize that there are going to be multiple teams in the 12-team field with multiple losses and both of these teams could be among them. But what’s at stake here, Kevin, is possibly a 1st round bye as one of the four highest-ranked conference champions or playing at home in the 1st round as seeds five through eight.”

As such, the likes of Ohio State and Oregon — both undefeated — will have more wiggle room after meeting in Week 7, and a potential rematch in the conference title game.

In the SEC, a two-loss team is not a likely contender for the conference title game, but could still surely make the field. However, taking loss No. 2 at around the midpoint would make for a narrow path to tread until the end of the regular season.

So, with a blemish already on the record, LSU and Ole Miss might not be playing an elimination game for contention. But they are playing with plenty of stakes and a shrunken margin for error, adding plenty of intrigue to what should already be a potentially barn-burning contest.

The winner will have a notable leg up in vying for the conference title game and, certainly, an at-large berth and seeding.

“So every week, even though this system is more forgiving, the seeding matters,” Dinich said. “Winning your conference title matters. And those things are going to be all at stake this week at LSU.”