Sportsbooks are uncertain about how to handicap Saturday’s matchup between Ole Miss and LSU in light of quarterback Sam Leavitt being unexpectedly added to the injury report.
LSU dropped from -3 or -3.5 at most sportsbooks to -1 immediately after the injury report was released, only to bounce back to around -2.5.
Key Takeaways
- Leavitt played in LSU’s first two games and did not appear to show signs of an injury.
- FanDuel bettors are backing LSU on the spread.
- The SEC can hand out fines and punishments if the injury report is used for acts of gamesmanship.
Saturday’s primetime showdown between the Rebels and the Tigers was supposed to be about Lane Kiffin, now of Baton Rouge, returning to face his former school in Oxford.
A few days before kickoff, the headlines took on an entirely different angle. The conversation now centers around Leavitt’s status and the impact on betting odds for the matchup.
A shocker on the SEC injury report, with LSU starting quarterback Sam Leavitt listed as doubtful. pic.twitter.com/jb7PMrblqR
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 17, 2026
Leavitt, the top-ranked player in the transfer portal, was a full go in LSU’s first two games. He gained 709 total yards, seven total touchdowns, and four interceptions.
But seemingly out of nowhere, the redshirt junior QB showed up on LSU’s SEC-mandated injury report on Wednesday evening. He was designated as “doubtful,” with reports suggesting that he has been limited in practice this week due to soreness in his throwing shoulder. LSU has not confirmed the reason for Leavitt’s designation.
“You're just going to have to certainly make some major adjustments if he's not going to play, but the line went from one side to the other and then back again. So at this point, we're just thinking he's playing, at least for now," DraftKings Sportsbook director Johnny Avello told Covers.
FanDuel listed LSU as a -3 favorite on the road before Leavitt’s injury announcement. Odds quickly changed to have the Tigers at -1, before they returned to their current value of -2.5. So far, 62% of bets and 66% of money is on the favorites.
DraftKings was even more pro-LSU, having set the spread at -3.5. It also now has the visitors set at -2.5.
BetMGM, bet365, Caesars, and Hard Rock Bet also have LSU listed as a -2.5 favorite. Fanatics and BetRivers are the odd ones out, leaving the Tigers at -2.
Enjoying Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account
What does Leavitt’s injury designation mean?
The SEC instituted injury reports ahead of the 2024 college football season as a response to the rise of sports betting and concerns over abuses of integrity. According to the bylaws, a “doubtful” player must be considered to have about a 25% chance of seeing action in their team’s next game.
There’s still a chance that Leavitt could be ready to go on Saturday — though those chances appear slim. The SEC forbade “misleading” acts of gamesmanship, defined as actions “intended to hide a student-athlete's true participation status for competitive or strategic reasons,” and has the authority to issue punishments for head coaches found guilty of committing offenses. Penalties include fines ranging from $25,000-$100,000.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey also has the authority to administer additional penalties deemed appropriate for the situation.
Despite that, sportsbooks appear to believe that Leavitt will be under center when the teams take the field at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on Saturday.
If he isn’t, backup, and Elon transfer, Landen Clark would be expected to fill in. The redshirt sophomore threw for 2,321 yards, 18 touchdowns, and eight interceptions and ran for 614 yards and 11 scores a year ago.
The tension is high
Kiffin was the head coach at Ole Miss from 2020-25. He left with a career record of 32-17, but, in typical fashion, burned bridges on the way out.
The 51-year-old guided Ole Miss to an 11-1 campaign and its first College Football Playoff appearance last year. But after the team won the Egg Bowl, he spent weeks publicly entertaining interest from LSU and Florida while Ole Miss was attempting to prepare for the playoff. He finally chose LSU, a bitter rival of Ole Miss, and attempted to convince players, coaches, and staff members to join him, all while the Rebels were still preparing for the playoff.
Kiffin was also aggrieved by the leadership at Ole Miss not allowing him to coach in the playoff, and instead handing the reins over to defensive coordinator Pete Golding. Kiffin has since acknowledged that he mishandled the situation, but that will mean little to a fan base desperate to beat an old rival and a familiar face on their home field in a pivotal conference matchup.
