Danny Kanell didn’t wait for the final whistle of Week 1 to make his call on the college football landscape. With one game still left on the slate - No. 19 SMU against Florida State - the former quarterback turned analyst dropped his top 12 Monday morning and put LSU and Ole Miss right at the front of the line.
Kanell made it clear he wasn’t interested in preseason reputation or old rankings. His standard was simple: production on the field, against quality opponents.
As he put it, “I don’t care what you were ranked before the weekend. Or the preseason.
Who has been the best on the field. Against the best.
Pure and simple. #DKtop12”
That approach produced a list heavy on the SEC, with six teams from the conference making the cut, including Auburn. LSU checked in at No. 1, Ole Miss at No. 2, and the rest of the group included Bama, Texas, and the Tigers from Auburn.
Kanell’s full top 12 read like this: LSU, Ole Miss, Miami, USC, Notre Dame, Indiana, Oregon, Auburn, Ohio State, Bama, Texas, and 12 blank.
LSU’s case was easy to see after what happened against Clemson. The Tigers rolled to a 51-10 win, a result that stands as the largest loss of Dabo Swinney’s career. The game was delayed by rain in Baton Rouge for two hours before kickoff, and the weather ended up being a fitting prelude to a night that turned into a blowout.
Ole Miss didn’t win with the same kind of hammer-blow final score, but the Rebels were just as explosive on offense. Even after Lane Kiffin’s departure, the attack looked every bit as dangerous as it did in 2025. Trinidad Chambliss was the engine, piling up 396 total yards and four touchdowns - three through the air and one on the ground - before Lucas Carneiro nailed a 48-yard field goal to seal a 41-38 victory over Louisville.
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