For once, LSU won’t have to pretend the Tigers still have a rivalry with Ole Miss.

In fact, it may be the Rebels in danger of looking down their noses at the Tigers and past Halloween to their game next week with Auburn.

This time the Tigers (6-2, 2-2 SEC) had to straighten up their ship to give Saturday’s night game in Tiger Stadium a semblance of a big game.

Ole Miss, not so much.

The Rebels (7-0, 4-0) have been rolling since opening the season with a thrashing of Boise State, and come into Tiger Stadium not only unbeaten but ranked No. 3 in the nation.

It’s the first time Ole Miss comes into the traditional rivalry ranked higher than the Tigers since 1999 — the Rebs were No. 25, LSU unranked the year before the Nick Saban-Les Miles Golden Era of LSU football began.

Shoot, it’s the first time both teams have been ranked for their game since 2003, when LSU beat the Eli Manning-led Rebels 17-14 with the SEC West Division title on the line.

It’s also the first time the Rebels have come into the LSU game unbeaten in 51 years, when the Rebels were also ranked No. 3 in 1963. LSU hasn’t had a loss seven times in that span.

ESPN’s popular GameDay show will broadcast from campus Saturday morning and CBS is probably kicking itself that two weeks ago it chose Mississippi State at Kentucky for its showcase game of the week.

ESPN gobbled it up with a chance for a primetime peek into Tiger Stadium.

So Monday Miles could use the standard line — “These games are the reasons that you come to LSU” —without a hint of false hype.

“Big rivalry,” he continued. “An opponent that you know well. We will enjoy (the) preparation, game day, the eyes of the college football audience on what’s going on in Baton Rouge.

“We will enjoy this one.”

But it will be a bit of a role reversal.

Ole Miss got its signature victory at home with 23-17 victory over Alabama and has won big on the road, 35-20 at Texas A&M.

“They (are) the style of team that deserves being nationally ranked and deserves the best efforts of their opponents.

“There’s some great history in this rivalry. We like to point at, certainly, the Billy Cannon Halloween (punt return) run (1959) and, for that matter, Odell Beckham’s (punt return in 2012).”

His history might be a bit off — Beckham’s return, like Cannon’s, was 89 yards, but took place in the middle of November.

But Miles seems to understand that the Ole Miss game really means something again.

LSU has won 9 of the last 11 meetings, but the Rebels will going for two straight after upsetting the Tigers 27-24 in Oxford last year.

This time the upset shoes are on the other foot.

Just don’t tell Miles.

The Tigers, more used to the national spotlight than the Rebels, started SEC play 0-2 with losses to Mississippi State and Auburn, but got back to even in the conference while, it was suggested at the weekly press luncheon Monday, somewhat “flying under the radar” the last two weeks with wins over Florida and Kentucky.

“When we walk on the field with the LSU helmet on and the LSU uniform, there is no ‘flying under the radar,’ ” Miles said. “Your opponent knows who they are playing and we know who is in our helmets, OK?

“So we’ll look forward to that environment. It’s kind of how we’ve grown up around here.”(Associated Press)

Robert Sutton